Freezing Darkness
by Sakura245
Summary: Ezra didn't escape in Always Two There Are. He was captured by the Seventh Sister and the Fifth Brother. After all that he endures, will he manage to stay on the light side and keep faith that the Ghost crew will save him? Or will he turn to the side of darkness?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! Here I am with a new fanfiction! I sat around after watching** ** _Always Two There Are,_** **and I thought of how scary and awesome the two inquisitors are, and I really wanted some more fanfictions with them. After awhile, I chose to write one myself. I hope you like it!**

Ezra hadn't made it. Make no mistake, he wasn't dead. He wasn't exactly "okay" either. He leaned his head back against the metal wall of an imperial ship. The binders hurt his wrists, and head felt as though it had been crushed, put back together the wrong way, and filled with water. Ezra had the Seventh Sister to thank for that.

 _How did I end up like this?_ He asked himself. He didn't know why he asked this, he'd lived it.

***Flashback***

Escape had been within his grasp, so close that he could taste it. As Zeb shot at the inquisitors from the _Phantom,_ he and Sabine ran. He was so sure that they'd make it. He was half right, because only Sabine got to the ship. One moment he was by her side, the next, a cold embrace grabbed his neck and yanked him backwards.

It pulled him to the ground, ripping the air from his lungs. Ezra sat up and shook his head to try to clear the ringing in his ears. When his vision came into better focus, he could make out the hangar doors closing, the _Phantom_ being held back by the Force, and the Seventh Sister keeping him from moving with the Force.

It all seemed to be a blur after that. Ezra could only really process a few things, Sabine's face in the back of the _Phantom,_ the cold surrounding him, and the absolute knowledge that if Zeb, Sabine, and Chopper didn't escape at that moment, the whole _Ghost_ crew would die. No! He couldn't let that happen!

Summoning all of his will, Ezra felt the coldness around him become a part of him. He was barely aware of Sabine yelling or the frantic beating of his own heart. As the ship burst forward into space, he said the same two words that he said when he and Sabine first met the inquisitors. "Sabine, run!" A sonic wave seemed to release from him, sending the ship flying and the inquisitors staggering backwards.

He could sense it deep down, that he'd used the dark side. Just as what happened last time, his legs buckled, his skin felt frozen, and his mind was foggy. Another second passed, and just as quickly as the sudden rush of power came, it left. He collapsed, unmoving on the floor. He didn't have time to breath before a large hand lifted him off the floor by his neck.

Ezra was conscious enough to panic as the grip tightened. "You will pay with your life for that." The boy was almost sure that he'd see a red blade in front of his face, but instead, the hand around his neck just kept tightening. He wouldn't be surprised if a few of the bones in his neck were breaking. "Yeah, well." He choked out. "I'd say it was a decent bargain." He tried to take a ragged breath in as this clamp around his neck cut off his air supply completely. His fingers clawed at the hands that held him there; his feet kicked out against the empty air.

He couldn't hear it well, but the Seventh Sister said something, yelled it more like. Then, he was thrown against the wall like a ragdoll. His head hit first, then the rest of him, after that, he fell to the ground in a small, coughing heap. Ezra didn't get a chance to recover before once again he was lifted by his neck. It wasn't tight enough to keep him from breathing, but it was enough to keep his breaths labored. "Really," A female voice said. "He will be much more useful to us if we keep him alive." The pressure on his throat doubled, and that was his last memory.

When he came to, he was on the floor of an unfamiliar ship. His hands were still bound at the wrist, and he felt sick. Slowly, bit by bit, he raised himself to sitting position. It hurt like heck, but leaning against the wall offered him some support.

When his eyes focused, he could tell that he was in some sort of imperial prison. He knew that it'd been a completely sad, naive hope, but he hoped so hard that the encounter with the Inquisitors had been a dream.

***End flashback***

In any case, he didn't regret his decision. Sabine, Zeb, and Chopper escaped. Kanan would come to his rescue. It would all be okay, he knew it, but doubt came into his mind. The two inquisitors. He'd forced himself to sound so sure when he was being interrogated, so sure of his master's strength and power, but in truth, all he could do was hope. _Kanan will come get me. I'll live. He won't be killed. Everything will work out._ Ezra thought, trying to will himself to have faith.

They hadn't abandoned him. Maybe it looked like it at first glance, but he knew that Sabine and Zeb were aware that they couldn't face the inquisitors alone. They needed a Jedi to do that. Ezra knew it, they'd be back.

He tried to look on the bright side of the situation. He was alive, for the time being. They probably didn't plan on killing him too soon. Or wait, that last one was probably a bad thing…

He groaned as a headache struck hard. Maybe it was from how many times his head got hit, maybe it was because he tried to use the Force to contact Kanan. Either way, it sent waves of pain over his body. He tried to ignore it and think about the bright side again. _At least I'm not being interrogated again._ He thought, satisfied with himself for coming up with a reason to be thankful for something.

The door slid open, and he found himself looking into eyes as cold and unrelenting as a night's sky. Ezra didn't even try to hide a sigh of annoyance. _Great job, Ezra. You just had to say something._ The next few hours of his life would not be easy.

 **Ezra Pain! It never gets old! So, I'm still kind of working out the plot as a whole. If you have any suggestions, comments, or questions, please review! I love reviews! I hope everyone enjoys this! May the Force be with you!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! So happy for all of the reviews! Just to let everyone know, review motivate me! Here's the new chapter! Enjoy... or scream in pain like Ezra, either one is fine. =)**

The boy was terrified. The Seventh Sister could sense it. Any person who wasn't Force sensitive wouldn't be able to tell, but her sharp eyes had seen it, the small, silent shudder that ran through his body when she entered the room. She smiled evilly, his fear would work to her advantage.

Ezra kept his eyes narrowed in a glare. "Why such a look?" She said, crouching down. Her mask split into portions and slid out of the way. Ezra refused himself the luxury of shrinking back.

"Well, you know. I was fine, then I saw your face. You're able to put the rest together, right?" He said. The female inquisitor kept smiling, unphased.

He could hide his fear under layers upon layers of sarcasm. Ezra expected her to get angry or something. It would have been predictable, but she just stayed there, not raking her talon like nails across his face. If anything, this made him even more uneasy.

Silence stretched. "You're not going to get anything out of me," Ezra said defiantly. The Seventh Sister chuckled and reached her long, cruelly graceful finger toward his face. Ezra's head jerked back, and he hit his already aching head on the durasteel wall with a bang. His skull felt like it was cracking. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, and felt ice cold fingertips on his cheek.

Ezra turned his face away, but he was cornered. There was no escape. "Appearances can be deceiving. You're not as intelligent as you look." The finger clenched and he felt razor fingernails dig into his skin, threatening to break it. He was sure that she'd give her a second pair of scars on his face.

The sharp pressure on his cheek lessened. "I wouldn't want to leave a mark on such a pretty face." She said, running her claws over the side of his face gently. Well, to be fair it was more threatening. She was making it clear that he was still alive only because she chose to let him live. She could cut his throat with those nails in less than a second.

Ezra backed away uncomfortably, only to remember that the was he was already against a wall. "It's naive to think that you won't tell me anything," she continued. "I have ways of making people talk."

Ezra turned away as his head throbbed and he wanted to tune all of this out. He imagined that all of this was an illusion like back in the Jedi temple on Lothal. Icy fingers turned his face back to her. "You may take longer to break than others, but that is half of the enjoyment. This is your last chance. Why not save yourself from the pain?" She questioned.

"Why not stop talking and relieve the headache I'm getting?" Ezra fired back. Protecting his family came first, ahead of him, alway.

The Seventh Sister grinned. "Bad move, Apprentice." Her fingers moved about a few inches away from his forehead. For a half second, Ezra was relieved that she was no longer touching him, but all too quickly, a flood of pain rained down into his mind. He moaned and gritted his teeth. Something told him that this was going to be a lot worst than the interrogation session back on the medical station. She was more aware of his limits now, she knew how far she could push him until it destroyed him.

"I offered an easier solution. Why do you feel a need to put yourself through this?" She asked, between doses of pain. Ezra didn't answer; he was still recovering from the agony. The inquisitor sighed. "I'll attempt a new strategy," she said as a feeling of strange discomfort ran through Ezra's mind.

He barely had the time or energy to put up mental barricades. Her Force signature slammed against the trembling walls that protected him. She attacked them, tearing his barriers apart so he had to build them back up. He knew it was a lost cause after the fifth attack, as his walls shuddered under the force of her barrage. She was in.

It didn't hurt as much as the waves of pain that she'd given him earlier, but it was distressing as heck. Ezra physically squirmed as she looked into his memories, forcing him to relive his parents leaving, pushing him to remember every time he'd been abandoned in his past.

Despite the jarring effect of her looking at his memories, he focused whatever will power he had left to shielding any information about the Ghost crew. They had to be protected. They would come rescue him.

"Well, isn't this adorable," her voice said. "You believed that your parents were dead for years, and now despite your logic, you hang on to a thread of hope that you'll see them again." Ezra doubled over as pain rushed from his head into his body. It was worst than all of the pain she'd inflicted earlier.

"Get out of my head!" Ezra growled as he felt her shift around in his mind more.

"Have I struck a nerve?" The Seventh Sister said, a smile growing on her face. She laid her fingers on Ezra's temple with that gentle/threatening touch again. "You can decide when this stops." She sent waves of the loneliness that he'd felt on the streets. He tried and failed to suppress an anguish filled scream.

"Get out!" Ezra cried. The Seventh Sister knew that he was at probably his most vulnerable point then. She could delve into his mind more and take what she wanted, but where was the fun in that? Aside from getting information about the rebels, she had ulterior motives. She emitted a tearing pain into his mind, and he screamed.

The pain left him with almost no energy. His head hung, his shoulders slumped, and his eyes could barely remain open. Her fingers slid down his face to his chin. Slowly, she tilted his head up so that she could be at eye level with him. "This isn't over. I'd just prefer that your mind is kept intact." Those were that last word that Ezra heard before his world faded to black.

 **She's so scary! That's why so many fans out there love her. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, or you know, screamed in pain like Ezra. Both are good. I'll see where I can take the next chapter! Thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, or reviewed. Please Review! It gets me to update faster! May the Force be with you!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hola! I'm back! Sorry if it took me so long to update! Aside from living life, it took me a long time to figure out exactly where I wanted to go with this chapter. I think I achieved it! You people who read this seem to want me to switch between the** ** _Ghost_** **crew and Ezra. Just to let you know, the majority of this fanfiction will be Ezra, and maybe some of the Seventh Sister. But, I did work really hard to write a chapter with the crew. Disfruten!**

Kanan was ready to give Ezra a long lecture when "the kids" returned. Running off like that was just a way that he'd run away from some of his problems. Not a very Jedi thing to do. At first, he just felt annoyed at his padawan, nothing more. Then, fear radiated from the other side of the bond. He tried contacting him through the Force, but he wasn't responding, it wasn't like Ezra.

Waves of distress rolled in. What was going on? His question was answered when only two of the three came back.

"We have to go back!" "They've got him." "My fault!" Even with the Force on his side, Kanan couldn't distinguish who was saying what.

"Slow down," Hera said, taking control of the situation. They both stopped talking. "Now, what happened?" She asked.

"They took Ezra!" Sabine said, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Who?!" Kanan and Hera yelled at the same time.

"Inquisitors. Two of them," Zeb answered grimly. "Why didn't you tell us there was more than one? It would have been helpful to know," the Lasat continued.

Kanan pinched the bridge of his nose to ease the sudden stress headache. "I didn't know!" He unintentionally yelled. Worry was getting the better of him. He took in a breath to try and control himself. No easy feat.

"Hera, set a course for the medical station," he said, turning to Hera, but she was already in the cockpit, preparing the Ghost.

"You read my mind, love!" She called from the pilot's seat. Despite the heaviness of the situation, Kanan felt himself smile a little.

Sabine was about to join Hera in the cockpit, but Kanan put a hand on her shoulder. "Wait," he said. Sabine took a breath in, fearing a lecture. Even though on the Ghost, Ezra got most of the lectures since he had a tendency to do a few stupid things, and he was the padawan. Although, at this point, she couldn't say that she didn't deserve a lecture. They had left Ezra.

"I'm not going to lecture you," Kanan said, sensing her feelings. "I need to know from both of you," he gestured to her and Zeb. "what are we up against?"

They sat down at the table in the common room. "Well," Sabine began, not knowing where to start. "They use droids that look like probes." Even with all of the horrifying memories running through her brain, Sabine had a hard time putting what they'd seen into words.

"They know about Ahsoka," Zeb stated. Kanan's eyes flashed up. The knowledge of Ahsoka's existence was bad. She was a powerful ally, former Jedi, and friend. Chances were that Ezra would be interrogated on that topic mostly. He didn't have much information to give, about anything. Kanan sighed, that meant bad things for Ezra. Well, being captured in general meant a lot of pain. Especially when the captive was strong in the Force.

Kanan was almost feeling sick to his stomach. The chances that Ezra would return to them in one piece were slim. "Do you think they'd still be there?" Kanan questioned.

Sabine nodded. "They wanted us to contact you and Ahsoka. So, they want to eliminate you guys. Going in there will be a trap."

Everyone knew it would be a trap. No question about it. It didn't matter, they'd get Ezra back. He was family, and the crew was not willing to turn their backs on him.

"What's your plan then?" Zeb asked. "Those guys weren't laid back about their work. They'll outnumber you in dueling. We can't go in like this: knowing it's a trap and going in without a plan."

Kanan frowned, knowing that Zeb made an excellent point. Scenarios ran through his brain. If he really fought with everything he had (which he would), he'd be able to hold them off long enough so that Zeb and Sabine could grab Ezra, and they could set charges everywhere, leaving behind an exploding medical station with the enemy inside. If Ezra wasn't too banged up yet, he could help fight. When he and Kanan fought side by side, they were quite formidable. Of course, he could see the flaws behind each of those plans.

It wouldn't be easy, but sometimes, you just have to wing it. "We'll make an actually plan when we figure out the situation," Kanan said, managing to sound more sure than he really was. "For now, we'll have to settle for busting in, fighting, grabbing Ezra, and leaving. Sabine, I'll need you to make some miracles." The artist smiled, and Kanan thought that this plan had some hope after all.

"You think that plan will work?" Zeb said skeptically. Kanan took a slow breath in.

"What other choice do we really have? We don't rescue him now, we may never see him again. We'll do whatever we can."

.

.

.

"What do you mean there's no life?" Hera cried, slapping Chopper on the dome. Chopper beeped in annoyance, but repeated what he'd said earlier. They were not far from the abandoned medical station. According to Chopper's scans, there was no life within the structure.

Kanan could sense it, but didn't want to believe it. Ezra had to be inside with the Inquisitors, but the Jedi knew for sure, there was no one in there. Not even stormtroopers, which made this whole situation even more suspicious. If they had in fact taken Ezra to an imperial prison, why wouldn't they leave squads of stormtroopers to take down the rest of the rebels when they came to retrieve him? It wasn't adding up at all.

Despite what he knew, they still entered the station. Kanan tried to convince himself that he was wrong and Ezra was here, but it became apparent that he was gone as the crew practically tore the place apart looking for the young padawan. "What are they planning?" Kanan wondered to himself.

Suddenly, he felt a pull in the Force from miles away, it was Ezra, but something was wrong. He couldn't figure out where it was coming from. _Ezra! Are you okay? What's going on? We couldn't find you! Where are you?!_

He expected his student to respond with a sarcastic comment or just a genuine answer. He expected to hear Ezra, to sense his Force signature. But it was not Ezra that answered him. Instead, it was a cruel feminine voice, as cold as Hoth. _Such concern for your apprentice… Nice to meet you, Kanan Jarrus._

 **What's going on? Why isn't it Ezra's voice? The whole exclamation will be in the next chapter. Hope you liked this chapter! Thank you so much for the reviews I've been getting on this story! Let's keep them coming!**

 **Biology Lesson:**

 **Many animals live in a symbiotic relationship. This means they live together. In most cases, this means that they help each other in some way. An example of this is a fanfiction writer and all of the people who read her work. She gains reviews and feedback while the readers gain a story. There are some cases where one is a parasite and feeds off of the other organism(For my sake I hope this isn't the relationship between us).**

 **I remembered that all off the top of my head! Pride! 7th grade Science class did teach me something helpful! So, anyway, please review, favorite, and follow! May the Force be with you!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! I'm so glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter! There is quite a bit of Ezra pain in this chapter. I hope you all like it, but really quickly I'll respond to the reviews!**

 **Responses**

 **Rebel Spectre 6- I'm glad you're liking it so far. There will be a lot of mashed blueberries coming up! What's the Seventh Sister's favorite food? Mashed blueberries!**

 **Guest- Now you can find out what comes next!**

 **thewholeworldismagic- Yeah, she'll just keep getting creepier. Sometimes when I'm writing, I consider if she'd really be so creepy. Then I refer back to her debut in Rebels and I think I'm doing a good job on her character.**

 **AgnieszkaPL- It would be great if Kanan rescued Ezra, but I make no promises! I'm just evil that way. You'll just have to keep reading to find out!**

 **EvilMindedZ- Here's the chapter, now give Dunan's padawan back! She's one of the most beloved OCs I've ever created! Dunan will take you down if you take her apprentice, there bond is strong!**

 **TeenylambofGod- I'm glad you like! By the way, I love your pen name!**

 **Rebels-lover- LOL! That's adorable! You think she'd break Ezra that fast?! No, it will probably be a much longer, slower, more agonizing process. Keep in mind, I'm friends with EvilMindedZ... Our writing tends to share similarities...**

 **Guest- I'm glad you enjoyed my Biology reference. I love science, but that class was not my favorite!**

 **shooting2stars- The Seventh Sister is scary, it's who she is! We'll see if Kanan can save him... Even I don't know and I'm the author... I just realized how concerning that is! LOL!**

 **Guest- Destroying Ezra is going to be a very long process! I have a fun time writing!**

Ezra didn't think that it was possible that his headache would worsen, but he was proven wrong the second he opened his eyes. He'd felt a lot of pain in all his fifteen years, it was fair to say that he was used to pain by now, but whatever he was feeling was not something he'd felt before. He pressed his hands against his forehead, hoping it could ease some of the pain. Eventually, he laid his head against the wall, the cold was comforting.

The pain dulled and he had a chance to regain some of his wits. He didn't know what in the galaxy the Seventh Sister did inside his head, but it was sure doing a number on him. He looked down at his bound hands. Had she replaced the binders? These ones looked smaller, almost weaker. He tilted his head curiously. If he broke them, he'd still be stuck in an imperial cell, and based on his observations, the cell didn't even have air ducts. Not the size he could get through at least. Still, free hands would be helpful.

Slowly, he positioned his hands so that he could snap the stupid binders in the middle. He gave a quick, strong flick of his wrists, and didn't get the intended outcome. Instead of a feeling of satisfaction and free hands, he got a jolt of electricity through his body. He cried in pain, the electricity felt like it was still running through his bones. _What was that?!_ He thought, squinting at the seemingly normal binders.

"Useful, aren't they?" A voice filled with sharp edges said from the front of his cell. He glanced into the cold, golden eyes.

"Not the word I would use," he replied, keeping his voice level.

She gave an evil, almost demented, laugh. "They are not ordinary binders. They-"

"Yeah, I got that," he interrupted snidely.

She narrowed her eyes, the first sign of annoyance she'd given him. He stared back without flinchingly. She gave him that smile again, that one that unsettled him like nothing else. What was she thinking? It was as though she had on a perfect, emotionless mask. Why would she need her actual mask if she kept these expressions on her face?

He was so perplexed by her expressions and intentions that he didn't notice when she brushed a button on her wrist. He wasn't expecting it at all when another electric shock ran over him. The Seventh Sister acted oblivious to his pain.

The sudden shock had forced the breath from his lungs. He gulped down air. Ezra's body was overcome by pain. It wasn't a sort of discomfort he knew well. He knew what it felt like to be shocked. He lived with Chopper after all. Chopper's electric attacks weren't this bad. The pain that the binders inflicted lingered. It came on quickly, and left all too slowly.

"As I was saying," The Seventh Sister continued as though Ezra hadn't interrupted and gotten hurt. "Those binders are specially designed for Jedi. The more you struggle, the tighter they get." As she said it, Ezra did feel the binders get tighter, and the metal bit into his wrists. "A bounty hunter in the Clone Wars came up with the idea."

Ezra mentally cursed the bounty hunter who made these blasted binders to begin with. The Seventh Sister inched a finger to her wrist, and Ezra tried to suppress a flinch. She must have pressed a different button because he didn't feel like an electric bomb dropped onto him. He felt like some kind of weight was lifted.

"What was that?" He asked, forgetting to be on guard for a moment.

"They also work as Force inhibitors," The Seventh Sister said with a malicious smile. Ezra didn't know the word "Force inhibitors," but he could put together that it was not a good thing.

"Now," The Seventh Sister began, lowering herself in front of Ezra. _This can't be good._ He thought. "I'm going to look inside your mind." She brought her hand an inch away from Ezra's forehead again. He pulled his head back hard and fast, unfortunately for him, he rammed it into a wall again.

He gritted his teeth as hot pain and then numbness spread through his head. "Why must you be so insistent on hurting yourself?" She questioned, her fingers trailed down from his forehead to chin. Slowly, threateningly.

He fought against the surges of pain that she'd sent into his head. "Poor child," She said, her voice almost pitying. "You think that there is a chance that your friends will come for you." He glared, of course the _Ghost_ crew would come for him. They were family. They'd go to the ends of the universe to bring him home.

"My master killed your precious grand inquisitor. He could take you out with one hit!" Ezra responded more confidently than he felt. He hoped for a predictable response like a glare or a good comeback, but the Seventh Sister simply chuckled and brushed a few locks of hair from his face, her deadly nails brushing his temples.

"Your faith in him is the only thing you're clinging to right now. If you're so confident that he'll defeat me, why don't I talk to him?" She smirked menacingly.

Ezra didn't like the way she said that. It gave him the idea that she would do something that would cause him a lot of pain. He pushed his fear further down within his mind. She pushed her way through his mind, trying to reach the bond that he shared with Kanan. He shuddered, realizing what she planned to do. She'd already gotten into Ezra's mind, he knew that he couldn't allow her near Kanan's.

Ezra closed his eyes to focus as his Force signature weakly pushed hers away. He hadn't thought he was in such bad shape. It wasn't just his body that was battered, but also his mind. "You don't realize how weak you've become," she whispered into his ear. "Did you know that you were practically broken yesterday? I could have stolen the rebellion's secrets and killed you without any difficulty, as the Fifth Brother wanted."

His eyes snapped open. Had he really been so destroyed? Could she really have taken everything? Maybe she was bluffing. Or she was telling the truth and she really could have torn apart his mind? "You're lying!" He accused hoarsely. "I would never tell you anything!"

She smiled in response. "You're mind may have been well guarded once, but a few doses of pain, mind tricks, and Force inhibitors have reduced it. It doesn't matter if you give anything away verbally." Ezra gulped hard. That couldn't be true. He couldn't sense her lying.

"No," he insisted stubbornly. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to ease the headache she was giving him. His head snapped up again, luckily not into the wall this time. "Then why didn't you?" He countered. She couldn't have done it out of mercy. Mercy was probably a foreign aspect to the female inquisitor.

She smiled, giving away nothing with her face. "I have bigger things in mind. I don't want to destroy you just yet."

He sensed her grip on the bond, and with it came a wave of nausea. He tried to push her away, both inside his mind and physically. "There's nothing you can do." Her voice stated in an almost soothing way.

 _Ezra! Are you okay? What's going on? We couldn't find you! Where are you?!_ Kanan's panicked voice sounded in Ezra's head. He swallowed hard, finally allowing some fear to show.

She couldn't intercept the bond, could she? Ezra was too stunned to say something before the Seventh Sister did.

Ezra shuddered as he heard the Seventh Sister in his mind. _Such concern for your apprentice… Nice to meet you, Kanan Jarrus._

 **And that's the story of how she talked to Kanan through the bond! I temporarily felt awful about this chapter, but if you've seen a few of my other stories you may see that I treat Ezra like how I treat all my favorite characters. If you just read the first 4 chapters of** ** _Darkening Clouds, Sunny Skys,_** **you kind of see what I do with adorable character who I love... Oh, but if you're going to take that suggestion and read it, watch up to episode 9 of** ** _Laughing Under the Clouds,_** **major spoilers.**

 **I can't believe this story has gotten over 2000 views already! I hope everyone keeps on reading it! Please favorite, follow, and review! Reviews are insanely helpful to get me to stop being lazy and get back to writings, so PLEASE REVIEW! Remember: Symbiotic Relationship! NOT BE THE PARASITE!**

 **May the Force be with you!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hola! So, I've gotten a bunch of reviews, which is great! I'm glad everyone is liking this story! It took me longer than I expected to write this chapter. I hope you all like it! Enjoy!**

He wasn't as broken as she'd said. Convincing him that he had no control over the situation was all apart of the process. It might have been slow, but it would work, sooner or later, that fragile mind of his would shatter, and she could rebuild whatever she wanted from the pieces.

She could sense dismay from the child's master. _Who are you?!_ Kanan Jarrus yelled into the bond. The Seventh Sister smiled as she saw the look of horror on the padawan's face.

 _Really, I'd expect the one who killed the grand Inquisitor to have enough brains to know the answer._

 _You're an Inquisitor._ The Jedi pieced together. The Seventh Sister laughed through the infiltrated bond.

 _It took you long enough._ She said, smirking.

 _Where is Ezra?!_ He yelled louder, almost giving her a headache, but whatever she felt could not be as bad as what Ezra was feeling. The apprentice suppressed a moan as Kanan's voice filled his head.

 _I'm right here, Kanan. Thanks for the headache…_ The boy responded, annoyance tainting his Force signature, but everyone inside of the Force bond could sense his relief.

 _Are you okay? What happened?_ Relief and panic colored the master's voice. The Seventh Sister originally planned on completely cutting off the two's conversation, but she could learn a few things, so she listened.

 _I'm fine… More or less. How did she get into the bond? Is that even possible?_

 _I'm not sure how she got into the bond. I'd heard that it was possible, but I didn't know until now. Do you have any idea of where you are?_

The boy shook his head as he communicated through the Force. _I was knocked out twice; I don't have any idea where I am._ He could hide his fear normally, but through the bond, he couldn't disguise it.

 _We'll find you!_ Kanan's voice promised.

The Seventh Sister laughed. That was such a naive promise. _You won't be able to get to him._ She said through the Force when her laughter cut off their conversation. _He's in an unknown location, surrounded by Force inhibitors._

 _I'm not talking to you right now!_ Both the master and apprentice yelled at the same time. As entertaining as their conversation was, it was time to get down to business. She pressed a button on her wrist and electricity crackled from the boy's binders. He screamed as the smell of burning skin filled the cell.

 _Ezra!_ Kanan shouted. Ezra couldn't respond before the Seventh Sister. The pain of the shock wove its way into his bones, and seemed to run through his bloodstream. He breathing, shallow.

 _It is time we have a serious conversation._ She said, almost smugly. Anger flowed from the Jedi's side of the bond. The light side stood firmly against anger, so to feel such rage emitting from his Force signature was rewarding. _Oh, have I struck a nerve?_

 _I'm telling you now. You should give him back! We will find him, no matter what! We'll go to the edges of the universe if we have to!_

The Seventh Sister laughed. _He's well hidden. I don't worry about your plans, whatever they may be._

 _He never pays attention when we're going over plans. He's kept in the dark over important rebellion information. Your best option would be to release him._ Kanan countered, trying to make the inquisitor change her mind over keeping Ezra captive.

Ezra wasn't very happy about the conversation was going. _Hey, I pay attention!_ The boy interjected.

 _Shhh._ A long cold finger press lightly against his lips. _The adults are talking._ He backed away, uncomfortable with being touched on the face with fingers that felt as if they were carved from ice.

Kanan's anger heightened as he sensed his padawan's discomfort. _As if that would make me release him. Perhaps if you told me the location of Ahsoka Tano, I could attempt to make his stay here slightly less agonizing._

A sudden wave of turmoil raged within the Jedi. On one hand, he could never betray information about Ahsoka on the other hand, giving her some information could buy Ezra some time. _Don't tell her, Kanan._ Ezra said seriously.

 _Remember,_ The Seventh Sister whispered to Ezra. _Be good and stay quiet. Or you could get hurt._ The tips of her fingernails travelled lightly down his cheek, and rested on his throat. He made no move to fight back or say anything through the Force bond. Instead, he gave a defiant smile as he could sense Kanan's resolve.

Lightyears and lightyears away for his padawan, Kanan nodded. _I'm not making deals with you._

 _Alright, I can be flexible. Your padawan most likely has some information that he'll say eventually._ A wave of fear from the padawan, and a wave of worry from the master.

 _If you want a fight, I'll give it to you, but I want to get Ezra back._ His master said through the bond.

 _Stop talking like this is gambling and I'm the prize. It's weird._ Ezra chimed in.

 _Ezra, I'm trying to rescue you here. Don't argue about it._ Kanan responded.

A sudden rush of electricity coursed through Ezra. This one, stronger than the last, and it left Ezra on his side, twitching for a minute.

 _I warned you, Child._ The Seventh Sister said, twirling a lock of Ezra's dark hair between her fingers.

 _Why you-_ Kanan began.

 _Watch your language. There's a child here. As intriguing as your offer is, I'm afraid I do not wish to accept it. I've grown rather attached to him. He has great potential._

She felt Kanan's anger increase, Ezra's fear rise. It was time to strike the final blow. _We will meet, we will battle, I will bring your padawan, but he will cease to be the same in that time._ She smiled. _Good bye._ She said with finality as she reactivated the Force inhibitor.

The boy could feel it. He panicked for a second and appeared to not understand what she'd done. _Kanan?!_ He called to emptiness.

"Oh, Child," she said, bringing her fingers to the side of his face, stroking his cheek, firmly pushing so that she could look him in the eye. "Did you not understand that last part? You're stuck with me."

 **I can't believe that this story has already gotten more than 3,000 views and 50 followers! I'm glad that everyone's been reading it! Thank you for all of the support! So, things are not looking good for Ezra. He's pretty much trapped... Please review! If anyone has any suggestions, comments, or questions please review. I will read anything this story receives! May the Force be with you!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello! So, it has been a very busy few days for me, but I managed to write this chapter. Please excuse me if there is something not good about it. I'm still in shock from the season finale. I literally cried the entire second half. Then I just walked around sadly and felt like I was in a hole... On that cheery note... Enjoy!**

"Is the boy broken, yet?" The Fifth Brother inquired. The Seventh Sister threw him a pointed look. The padawan hadn't broken yet, not that she expected he would so soon. It had been three days since she'd had the little conversation with his master, and for those three days, he was left alone.

"You lack the essential patience. Breaking him is not a quick process." He growled at her words.

"If it had been me interrogating him, he would have revealed everything three days ago," The Fifth Brother said, annoyance colored his voice.

"If you interrogated him, he'd be dead before you could get any information out of him," The Seventh Sister scoffed. "You lack the necessary control when handling these issues."

She knew what she was doing. Hopefully, some sense of utter helplessness would overcome him, and if not, she'd be impressed. He'd made it clear that he wouldn't give up anytime soon. That's what entertained her so much, and that's why she would make him into a servant of the dark side. Inner strength was highly valued within agents of the darkness. Finding one who possessed such powerful abilities was not easy.

"Speaking of the boy," she said, as the Fifth brother reminded her about him. "I should probably send a stormtrooper into his cell to give him food and water. It would be a shame if he died on us."

.

.

.

Ezra had partially recovered. His head didn't feel like it was splitting in half anymore, but it was difficult to recover when he hadn't eaten anything in three days. He managed. If they were trying to starve answers out of him, they were wasting their time. He'd lived on the streets for around seven years, he knew how to deal with hunger.

Maybe they knew of his tendency to escape whenever the door was open. If that was the reason he never got food, it made a lot of sense. In any case, he had to be ready to escape. He wasn't sure how long it would take the _Ghost_ crew to get to him, he was in a secure location after all. If they couldn't get to him for awhile, he'd have to figure a way out on his own. After that, he could contact them or something. When he could find a way to get the blasted cuffs off of his wrists, he'd be able to call out to Kanan through the Force.

Not having the Force on his side put him at quite a disadvantage. He couldn't sense anything. It was weird, almost more than anything else. On the bright side, he did still have his normal, human five senses.

He had a bit of a plan. Someone would have to come in to give him food, interrogate him, or something. If he could avoid direct confrontation, he would try, in order to make less noise as possible. After that, he could probably find a way through the air vents.

So, Ezra waited. He sat beside the sliding door. Standing would waste too much of his valuable energy. He learned that back on the streets a long time ago. When he ran, his sudden adrenaline would push him to move.

The fact that the inquisitors tried to starve answers out of him almost made him laugh. They obviously didn't know who they were dealing with. He tilted his ear against the wall, of course he couldn't hear anything. High quality metal made up the walls.

Finally, the door opened. Some unlucky buckethead walked in, carrying a tray of something that even Ezra wouldn't call food. He hadn't seen Ezra yet, and the boy was getting ready to bolt. He was surprised by the complete lack of energy in his body.

"Freeze!" The stormtrooper yelled, dropping the tray and pointing a blaster at Ezra's head. Ezra was pretty sure it was set on stun, he had nothing to lose! With a burst of energy, he circled around to his enemy's back and jumped so that his binders were at the man's throat. A wave of electricity ran over them, and Ezra gritted his teeth against screaming.

"Why don't you chew on this." Ezra said through the pain as he pressed his bound hands against the trooper's neck, trying to tune out the gruesome choking noises. He also mentally applauded himself for coming up with such a great line to use on spot.

He felt a bit bad about doing it. Almost strangling the guy, after all he'd experienced getting choked all too much. But really he didn't have too much of a choice. If he just ran, the trooper would call for reinforcements or something, and then his escape would be cut off quickly. His only plan right now was to knock the guy out, take his comm, hide out, find some way to get the blasted binders off, and contact the _Ghost_ crew.

The man crumpled to the ground. He still had a pulse, much to Ezra's relief since Kanan had taught him not to kill. He grabbed the trooper's helmet, and carried it under his arm. Peeking to see the rest of the hallway clear, Ezra ran out and slipped into the first air duct that he saw.

He listened to the comm on the helmet. Nothing about him yet. Everyone probably assumed that he was still locked up in his cell, eating the Force knows what on the tray.

He didn't know what to do at this point. Hide out. Hope the Seventh Sister didn't push that button again. Speaking of the binders, if he got them off, wouldn't he be able to contact Kanan again? That was the next order of business, then. Now, how could he go about removing them. He looked down at them, not daring to try to snap them again. They'd gotten tighter since he'd blocked the trooper's airway.

What could he do? He sighed to himself, realizing that he should have thought this through more. _Well, I've come this far. I might as well keep going, otherwise what was the point of breaking out in the first place?_ He thought.

He army crawled through the vents, not knowing what to do at this point. _Keep moving!_ He pushed himself as black spots crawled at the edges of his vision. Hunger was getting to him, and his adrenaline was fading. Not good. If this kept up, he couldn't go on for much longer.

"It was a worthy attempt," a female voice said from behind him. He shut his eyes, and struggled forward as two seeker droids clamped onto his ankles, sending electric waves through him. He writhed around, trying to get them off or crush them against the vent walls, but they already managed to drain him of his strength.

They pulled him out of the vent and dropped him unceremoniously on the floor. Invisible hands of the Force pulled him up by his neck. He coughed, trying to get oxygen into his lungs. "Tell me apprentice," the Seventh Sister said calmly, loosening her Force grip in him. "Did you really think that would work?"

"Well, yeah," Ezra responded, flinching as her nails grazed his face. "Why else do you think I would try it?" She laughed, and it was one of the most unsettling sounds that Ezra had ever heard.

"You don't understand this," she said as her grip tightened on his throat again, too tight for him to breath. His lungs burned, and he kicked out helplessly. "You can't escape."

This was the Seventh Sister's plan. She knew that once she gave him a chance he'd escape, or try to. She'd given him hope, and then crush it in her hands. Just as she was crushing his throat.

 **Love the Seventh Sister! She is such a fun character to work with. BTW, did any anime fans out there notice that I used a line from** ** _Tokyo Ghoul_** **? When Ezra is taking down the trooper... Kaneki's fight with Yamori... I don't even know why, I've just been very obsessed with that one fight in episode 12. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed. Please Review! May the Force be with you!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, Readers! So sorry that it's taken me so long to update! I lost some inspiration, so I'm working through this. I have an ending and stuff planned just everything in between needs some work. Life has been really busy lately, and school has been a lot of work. Enjoy!**

It wasn't just the boy she was after. She would manipulate his mind, him, and most important, the bond. Even though she'd cut him off from the bond with his master, it was still his only tether to hope. Without it, he was like dust in the wind, alone and journeying without the company of others.

She didn't plan on killing off any of his loved ones just yet, especially not the Jedi. She'd meant what she said in that conversation through the bond. They'd meet, they'd fight, and Ezra would not be who he once was.

The apprentice would be forced to battle the master, and he would win.

She'd never been one to shy away from watching faces contort in pain, in fact, she was drawn into watching it. After the boy had turned to her side, she could observe a fight in which the boy's previous master would be hacked apart, both physically and mentally. Then, Ezra would be her apprentice, her successor, a continuation of her legacy. Turning him to kill the Jedi could raise her up to Grand Inquisitor. Even if it didn't promote her, how much fun would it be to completely tear the boy from his master?

Currently though, it was progressing slowly. She didn't mind taking her time. If he was powerful enough to resist her for this long, it was pleasing to imagine how unshakable he would be as a tool of the Dark Side.

"How long has he been breathing it in?" She questioned upon entering an interrogation chamber. The padawan laid on his back, inhaling some gas that slowed his mind and confused him. His eyes were unfocused and barely staying open. Don't assume that his "almost sleep" look appeared to be peaceful. It was more unsettling than anything. He was fighting the effects of whatever strange air was entering his lungs. Ezra was used to being light on his feet, whatever he breathed in made him feel slower and heavier with every breath. Being tightly bound to a surgical table didn't help any.

"He's been inhaling it for a little more than an hour," an imperial worker with a bruise on his cheek responded. The Seventh Sister took a moment to glance at the bruise. It was fresh, and she could sense a strong amount of annoyance coming from him. She didn't bother to suppress a grin, she was wearing a mask anyway.

The boy had actually managed to put up a fight. Not a very long one, considering how he was strapped down to a table with an oxygen mask covering his mouth and nose, but still. Three men had been used to transport and stabilize him. Even with the meager food and water he received, and the Force out of his reach, he'd managed to land a punch on one of them. On top of that, he still attempted to lash out against his restraints. What he lacked in strength, he made up for in determination.

"That should be enough time," she said, raising a hand. The airflow of the gas stopped, allowing him to breath in oxygen again. He thought it would be a relief, but it was quite the opposite. Instead of healing him, regular air seemed to attack his lungs. Ezra bit down on his lip to stifle a wail of pain as his lungs felt as though they were tearing themselves apart. He coughed hard, spewing up mucus and possibly some blood. Ezra didn't know how much longer he could take this. He could take hunger, punches, cuts, and bruises, but he never learned how to react when oxygen itself became his adversary.

"Now," she began, slowly removing the oxygen mask from his face. "Would you like to say anything about where your little group of rebels hide?"

Ezra blinked, trying to process her words. Somehow, they didn't seem to make sense, what was she saying? What did she want? Everything sounded like it was underwater, the ringing in his ears didn't help at all.

When he finally pieced together what she was asking, he shook his head since he didn't trust himself to say anything logical. "Not much in the mood for talking?" She inquired, running icy fingers down the side of his face. Ezra offered no response, only suppressed a shudder. "That's alright," The Seventh Sister replied easily. "We don't need the information right away."

Somehow, that didn't make Ezra feel any better, if she didn't want the information at that moment, it could mean she had worst things than this torture in store for him. What would she do in that case?

He got his answer in a second. She forced things into his head, thoughts about Kanan, the _Ghost_ crew, and the warmth he felt when he was around them. He almost felt comfort, but had to push whatever she was feeding him from his head. It couldn't be good, she'd use it against him.

He repelled them with all his might, but that wasn't enough. His head spun from the gas, the pain that tore at his lungs distracted him. The Seventh Sister was simply too powerful for him at that moment. As he could only see the crew, an electric shock ripped through his body.

It was quick, less than a second. His he lost all control of his muscles, not that they were doing him any good in the first place. It was so quick that he didn't have time or strength to scream. He assumed that a shorter shock wouldn't hurt too much in comparison to the jolts that had a longer duration. He was wrong.

That one shock brought on every kind of physical pain there was. He only managed a moan, he couldn't do anything more. He didn't understand why she would force open thoughts of his space family into his head, until he thought about them for a second on his own. He didn't know why, but he felt fear of an impending shock. Then he understood.

"That's right," she said, when she saw his reaction. "I will turn you against them."

Ezra threw an angered look to her. Then, he forced a half laugh. "You really think that's going to happen? Especially now that I know your plan." She remained unphased, which as usual, threw him off guard.

She laughed, and ran her cold fingers down his cheek. Ezra squinted in pain as she grabbed his chin, lifting it so that he stared into her relentless eyes. "It matters not if you're aware of it or not. You will turn from them. You will join us on the Dark side."

 **Pain... It's what I write. I'm so happy that everyone likes the story so far! Coming up I might use some inspiration from** ** _Tokyo Ghoul_** **in these next few chapters. I'll just play it by ear. Any reviews would be very appreciated, so please review!** **May the Force be with you!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello! Sorry it has been such a long time. School had me really busy. That, and I discovered creative writing... I can now command my own characters... The power is too great! Just to let every one know, this chapter is a bit short, and I'll try to get a next one out soon! Enjoy!**

The _Ghost_ had never been so silent.

Everything was off. Ezra had been gone for a week. That's it, one week. _Has the ship always been this quiet?_ Kanan wondered to himself, but he knew the answer. Even before Ezra joined, there had never been a silence that was quite so unsettling.

The Jedi's eyes seemed to look off into nothingness, often into the depths of space out of the cockpit's windows. It was almost as though he would somehow find his padawan that way. The silence unnerved him less than the bond thing did.

Hera could see it. He was almost damaged by it. His inability to connect with Ezra tore at his soul. He'd been sleep deprived, that much was obvious. He probably wouldn't sleep until they got Ezra back. If they got Ezra back… No! Hera couldn't think that way. The minute they started to think in "maybes" or "ifs". Was the minute that Ezra _would_ be lost to them.

"Do we have any leads?" Kanan asked. Those word were becoming the ones he used the most. Hera shook her head, her lekku swaying.

"We haven't gotten anything. Not even a rumor…" Hera murmured. It was all so troubling, even in the place where they found the most information, they found nothing concerning where Ezra could be. "How are you holding up?" The twi'lek asked in a serious tone.

"I'm fine. All that matters is finding him," Kanan responded, his voice pulled taut to the point of snapping. Hera sighed. She wouldn't tell him to calm down because it wouldn't help him to hear it at all.

He sensed it. "I'm sorry," he muttered sitting in the copilot chair. It wasn't fair to take his emotions over the situations out on others.

"It's fine, Kanan. None of us are having an easy time with this. You most of all." Kanan's eyes looked off into the great expanses of stars and asteroids before them. "I don't know much about the Force, but I can see what the infiltration of the bond is doing to you."

Kanan released a breath painfully. "The whole thing isn't being gentle to any of us. The thing with the bond is driving me insane. It's like he was never even alive… It sounds bad to say, but I'd be slightly more at ease if I could sense his pain on the other side. For all we know, he could be-" Kanan cut himself off. The moment he even considered Ezra being dead was the moment they would lose him.

"We'll find him." Hera said, fiery determination coloring her voice.

"Yes, we will." Kanan responded.

.

.

.

It was dark, always. His eyes never adjusted, it was just dark…

After the horrible interrogation method, which made Ezra almost afraid to breath, the Seventh Sister had him thrown into a different cell. It wasn't like other imperial cells that he'd seen. It had no light, no windows, no bed, nothing. His only company was the hollow echoes of his anxious footsteps that paced the floor because he could do nothing else.

He paced back and forward endlessly. His first time pacing around, he got a bloody nose from walking right into the wall. "If she doesn't kill me, this room definitely will," he mumbled to himself. _I'm gonna lose my mind in here. I hate this so much!_ He thought.

 _KANAN!_ He screamed through the Force, even though he knew that it didn't matter. Kanan would hear him. No one would hear him.

How long had it been? A week? A month? Maybe, a year? Did it matter? Would he even be alive by the time the crew reached him? He tried to force those thoughts from his head, being negative wouldn't help him in this situation. Then again, being positive didn't do him much good either.

He couldn't fight it when he had flashbacks of the streets. The hunger, the loneliness. He decided he prefered the streets over the prison, at least on the streets he could hear noises aside from his own footsteps, heartbeat, and breathing.

 _Can't let go of hope. I can't. I can't. I can't!_ He thought to himself over and over and over… It was all he had left.

.

.

.

The Seventh Sister smiled from where she sensed the boy's once strong resolve begin to cave in. "You said that you would have him broken by now," the Fifth Brother retorted, annoyed.

"I never gave fixed time limit, but believe me, it's almost over." She walked away, from the other inquisitor. She'd question Ezra in a day or two, but before then, she'd let him wither away in dark. Where his hope would crumble.

 **I know, I know. I'm a terrible person. Pain is how I show my love for characters, trust me if you read any of my other stories, that is abundantly clear! I said I was going to go all** ** _Tokyo Ghoul_** **on Ezra... Wait for it.. We're gonna do this episode 12 style... I'll avoid the centipede though.. That part freaked me out. BTW, did anyone notice that in the ghoul prison in season two all of the cells had like no light? Kind of like Ezra in his cell, hmm... Anyway, please review comments, questions, or suggestions. I appreciate them a lot! May the Force be with you!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I've returned! So sorry for the wait, my computer hates me. I've also been busy with some things that have been deemed** ** _more important_** **than fanfiction (ACT). But I'm back, so yeah... Before I get into the story, I just want to thank all of the people that followed, favorited, and reviewed. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. You guys are the best!** **BTW: message for EvilMindedZ: What the heck, man?! I've been calling and messaging you! I'm lonely!** **So, anyway, please ignore my personal issues and read my writing. Enjoy!**

Ezra started to hallucinate. That was to be expected in such a place as this. So many times, he'd find himself on the streets, in a different room, in his old house, Mustafar. Anywhere. That day, his visions were different.

.

.

.

She'd planted those thoughts in his head. It was time to play her last card. He'd fall into her hands after this, for sure.

.

.

.

Ezra was in a torture room this time. His hands were bound to a chair, he saw nothing through a blindfold. He breathed hard from a sudden jolt of electricity. "It's alright, Ezra. Everything will be fine," a female voice said. It didn't sound like Hera or his mother, but it had such a maternal nature to it. Fingers came to touch his cheek. If felt warm, comforting. He couldn't help but lean into it.

The blindfold slipped off from around his eyes. The Seventh Sister stood before him. He pulled his face back, drawing a sharp breath. "Look at you, this place is doing a number on you," she stated.

"And who's fault is that?" Ezra questioned, a familiar edge crawled into his voice.

The Seventh Sister leaned against the chair casually. "Do you really think I want to do this to you? Of course I don't. I have better things to do with my time."

"Leave me alone," Ezra groaned. "I'd rather be alone than be within twenty feet of you." That wasn't true. He hated her, yes. However, he was dying in that dark room. He needed some kind of contact with someone. He craved it. But, she was an enemy, she would hurt him. He'd have to reject her with everything he had.

"You know that's not true, Child. You want company."

"Not your company," he responded through gritted teeth.

"I can sense whatever lies you tell. I just want to talk, about you."

Before Ezra could fight back or do anything, a barrage of memories attacked him. He was back in his childhood home. A younger version of himself ran past his leg. "That was you?" The Seventh Sister said from beside him. "So full of energy, I can see some things never change."

Despite the circumstances, Ezra let himself converse with her. "Yeah, I was five. I think most kids that age are hyperactive."

The memory of himself was lifted into air by his father. The younger Ezra giggled, and ran around the room when he was lowered to the ground. "Your parents were very loving," The Seventh Sister said with an almost kind smile on her face.

"Looking back," Ezra said, letting himself talk to her freely. " I had really great parents, they kept me alive, they taught me to stand up, they loved me so much. That's more than a lot of kids on Lothal can say."

"And they sent out messages against the empire," The Seventh Sister gestured to his parents recording a message.

"I was too young to understand it then, but they did it to try to help others. Now that I can understand it, I really admire them for that."

"I don't see why." The scene shifted to young Ezra staring wide eyed at the empty house. The one that had been so full of warmth, was cold and empty. "It was because of that they left you. In a slightly indirect way, it's their fault that you're here."

"That's not true," Ezra rejected the idea vehemently.

"They left you alone, with no one."

Ezra's hands clenched. The scene shifted before he could land a punch on the inquisitor. This time he was on the streets in the dark of the night. Blood ran down one of his legs, he limped pitifully, and he could hear the sound of his stomach growling. The past version of Ezra dragged himself into an alley, trying to bandage his leg wound with a scrap of fabric that he'd found earlier. The binding on the wound was hardly enough to stop the blood, but after pressing on it for ten minutes the blood stopped flowing.

"Living alone wasn't all that easy for you," she observed.

"I wasn't totally alone," Ezra countered halfheartedly.

The Seventh Sister chuckled, which was as ominous as ever. "Right, you had brief encounters with your relatives or friends of your parents who refused to take you into their homes." Ezra looked away, hating what she said, hating even more that it was true.

"But, after being alone for so long, you finally found a family," The Seventh Sister continued as the scene changed to the _Ghost_ crew.

Ezra tried to force the small smile from his face. He couldn't let her use all of these memories against him. "And even that group of rebels abandoned you."

Ezra didn't move his eyes from the scenes of himself and the crew going on missions and hanging around the _Ghost._ "They didn't. They'll come for me, just like how we went for Kanan that one time."

"You're just the very picture of naivety, aren't you?" the inquisitor continued, smiling. "Would it interest you to know that we've had no breaches in any of our prisons, and only regular movements from your cell?"

"No, it wouldn't," Ezra spat, even though he knew what that could mean.

"They abandoned you." Ezra was back in the chair in the dim interrogation room. He shook his head. They couldn't have abandoned him. He knew them all well enough to know that. "Just like your parents did," The Seventh Sister whispered into his ear. "They care too much about their cause that you are pushed out of the picture."

He lowered his head, letting his hair fall into his face so she wouldn't see the tears beginning to form. He'd been through so much pain in that prison. He'd kept all of the information that he could a secret. He was barely hanging on. And where were they? Why didn't they save him? The feeling of loneliness was unbearable. Were they really letting him endure it again?

"You said that you admire them, but really don't you hold a strong resentment toward them? After all, they were too focused on helping people they didn't even know to raise their own son. If they had turned their backs on those ideas, you would still be living with them."

"Shut up," Ezra choked out weakly.

"Not very good parents, were they?"

"Please stop talking," the boy managed to say.

"If they'd really loved you, they would have stopped before they got taken away."

Tears almost flowed freely. It took all of Ezra's will to hold them back. "Now, your so called family are carrying out actions that are similar to your parents'."

Ezra understood what she was saying, and yet, everything seemed messed up and confusing. He drew a shaky breath. "They still took me in back then, and that's something I can't forget."

"You know what will happen to them?" There was a pause. "They'll die, just like your parents, just like anyone who opposes the empire." Images of blood, corpses, and death filled his head. Kanan was on the ground, a lightsaber wound through his heart. Hera slumped on the floor, her body riddled with blaster wounds. Sabine's helmet was all Ezra saw. Zeb's neck was at an unnatural angle. Ezra felt waves of nausea. "Their fight isn't worth it."

Ezra's pain seemed to melt into strength. "I won't let that happen. I don't know if the fight is worth it or not, but I won't let them die! Anyone who tries to take them from me will have no mercy."

"That's noble, but you don't have the strength to back that up, not here, and not now. I'll train you to keep them alive."

Ezra scoffed. "You're the person that wants them dead, why would I ever trust your help?"

"It's the only help you can receive in your position," she replied calmly.

He had to admit it. In this prison, cut off from the world, his master, and the Force, any other form of help didn't present itself. "Fine."

"Does this mean you'll finally give in to the dark side?" The Seventh Sister questioned cooly.

"Course not. That'd be foolish. Kanan's lessons would be wasted." He looked up, his tears gone, his sapphire irises turning a golden color around the rims. "I'll never lose myself to the dark side."

The Seventh Sister smiled. He was so determined, yet so naive. She left his mindscape. When she reached his cell, she found him sitting cross legged against the wall. He looked up as for the first time in a week, light spilled into the room. She grinned as he looked on seriously. "Shall we begin?" she said.

 **So, through pain and the need to protect his space family, Ezra has shifted to the dark side... I'm evil that way. To** ** _Tokyo Ghoul_** **fans: does this scene kind of ring a bell from the scene with Rize in episode 12 of season 1? That's what I was going for! I seriously borrowed so many direct quotes from that anime. I should really find something else to obsess over for a bit. ..I just want to say thank you again to everyone! 100 followers! You guys are the best! I hope everyone liked it. Please review! I promise, your feedback leads to faster updates! May the Force be with you!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in over a month. I've had a lot going on, but I seriously hope this chapter is worth it! I've been thinking everything through over and over. There will be some Ezra pain coming up... Especially in chapters after this. Enjoy!**

Ezra didn't make a sound as a long needle got shoved into his arm. The only sign of pain that he showed was a small distortion of his face. He looked down at his wrists where the binders had been removed. The wounds were still fresh, still bleeding and they had a greenish tinge. Judging by the depth, they would scar.

 _Doesn't matter!_ He thought to himself. He already had scars up and down his legs and arms. _What's two more?_ Nothing. They were nothing to him.

After he'd given in to the Seventh Sister's "offer," the first thing they'd done was remove the binders from his wrists. He was surprised that they hadn't caused his flesh to rot off. As the Force inhibiting binders were discarded, some special Force inhibitor had been implanted within him. From what he could tell, they didn't stop him from using the Force, but they seemed to only work in a certain range. He wasn't sure, he only knew for certain was that he couldn't contact Kanan. It wasn't as stifling as the binders, but he felt instant hatred for it. It felt as though air was being forced from his lungs. An enormous, crushing pressure.

The Seventh Sister allowed him to shower and change clothes. At least she was somewhat reasonable. His shirt was reddish brown with dried blood, stained with sweat and tears as well.

He turned the temperature of the water as high as it would go. It burned his skin as it made contact, and he had to muffle small screams of pain that rose from his throat. He didn't care that his skin turned red; he was just so desperate to drive out the cold feeling that grasped the pit of his stomach and snaked around the rest of his body. The water had little effect. All it did was give him nearly second degree burns and make him even colder when he came out.

He couldn't shake the feeling that he was making a huge mistake. He sighed to himself. He couldn't let himself fall into a hole of regret. If anything, that would be the first step towards the dark side. Even more so than agreeing to train with the Seventh Sister. _Stay on guard. You can't let her get to you. Gain her trust, get some freedom. Find a way off, and get home._

He grimaced. That didn't even sound easy to him, but it was worth a shot. If he didn't even try, he'd die there. Even if he did die in an imperial prison, he would go down fighting!

A sickening feeling rolled over him as he realized that he could sense the Seventh Sister calling to him through the Force. It didn't feel right, on any level. This feeling was almost equivalent to when Kanan spoke to him through the Force, only this time it was cold. Cold beyond belief. He shuddered, then sighed reluctantly. _I've got one foot in the river, it's time to jump in._ His body nearly protested when he tried to move. Said metaphorical river had chunks of ice swirling in its deadly, dark currents. Jumping in was the last thing he wanted to do, but as he thought before: it was time to jump in.

.

.

.

"I am glad to see that this bond works," the Seventh Sister said with a darkness in her voice. Ezra said nothing, but his electric blue eyes glanced up at her. The golden color in his irises had faded away, leaving his eyes with only an icy look. The inquisitor shrugged the matter off. After a few days of training, his eyes would take a permanent yellow color.

"So," she began. "For the first lesson, I would encourage you to forget everything your previous master taught you. Here, it will only hurt you." Ezra's eyes flashed angrily for a second; the Seventh Sister smiled. "I could sense that flare of anger within you. Don't let it go."

Ezra stiffened as he deliberately released his anger. The Seventh Sister kept her indifferent facade on her face. Keeping to his Jedi teachings would only get him so far. It would cause him a lot of pain, but as her master had once said, "Pain is the best teacher."

She tossed a training lightsaber to her new apprentice, sensing the knot that formed in his stomach as he ignited a red blade. "I hate this color." He spoke for the first time since she had invaded his mind through hallucinations.

It wasn't that he had very strong preferences in lightsaber colors, he just hated the fact that he was holding a red, Sith lightsaber. It nearly sickened him. Red, the color of the innocent blood that the Sith intended to spill. Red, the same shade as the Grand Inquisitor's blade, who had nearly killed his family. Red, the color of the Sith, killers, and evil. It was in his hands. The shadow of the lightsaber cast itself over him, as though claiming him. It wrapped him in a bloody, red light.

"I feel sick," Ezra muttered, looking away from the blade. His hands shook as he held it. When he couldn't stand the feeling of red light over him, he turned the saber off and threw it across the room.

The Seventh Sister rolled her eyes. Had she overestimated his strength? When she looked at him, he looked genuinely ill and his mental state was in complete disarray. _Pathetic,_ she thought to herself. She was out of patience with him.

Her hand lashed out before Ezra could even register what was happening. Long, sharp fingers dug into Ezra's hair, yanking it upward. Her thumb and small finger pressed near his temples, the palm of her hand flattened itself against his eyes. He yelped, his eyes squinting as he tried to tune out the pain. "Get used to the color now, Apprentice." She pulled her own lightsaber from her belt and ignited it inches from the boy's face. She could feel the flash of fear within him. A smile stretched across her face. "Yes," she hissed. "Feel the fear. Do not forget it. Remember the feeling of your life nearly being ended right before your own eyes."

She soaked in Ezra's expression for another thirty seconds, before deactivating her saber and throwing Ezra to the ground. She reached through the Force to the training blade, hurling it in Ezra's direction. He caught it, and with a pained look, he turned it back on.

"Good," the Seventh Sister noted. "You're making progress." She gave no warning when she immediately ignited a training lightsaber and attacked him. Ezra managed to raise his blade just in time. He pushed back with all his strength.

The Seventh Sister chuckled. "It is because you lack the power of the Dark Side that you cannot fend me off. You have compassion and control within you." She allowed her arm to go back in response to Ezra's counter attack, and for a moment, Ezra was sure that he was winning, if only a tiny bit. He wasn't. She was toying with him.

It seemed like out of nowhere her leg shot out and she kicked him in the ribs, sending him flying to the side. The cracking sound was perfectly audible. He crumpled slightly, holding his free arm against his rib cage. "Forget your compassion," she said, lifting him up by said arm. Her grip felt as though it was crushing his wrist. Ezra bit back yells of pain. The training lightsaber swung around uselessly, never once hitting her. She flung it out of his hand with the Force. He swayed there in her grip, kicking out into the empty air.

"The Dark Side is the art of converting your emotions or purpose into power. As long as you hold onto the ways of the Jedi, you will never discover your full power. You will never touch your true potential."

Ezra's eyes went glassy from the pain of his cracked ribs and his near dislocated shoulder. When his wrist was released, he dropped to the ground, resisting the urge to curl into the fetal position. He bent over a little, trying anything to relieve the pain.

The Seventh Sister grabbed the collar of his shirt, and pulled him up. A ripple of fear raced through him, probably because he thought that she'd throw him to the floor again. "Quit being skittish. You're only going to the medical bay," she said as she released his shirt and ruffled his hair, which made him flinch.

She wasn't done training him by a long shot. This was just the beginning. She'd drill the Dark Side into him until he'd accept what he was meant to become.

 **Yep, that is her plan... Drill the Dark Side into him, give him a few injuries. Lucky for her the Imperial medical centers are seriously high quality, so that Ezra can take a million hits and be fine the next day! Not so good for Ezra... That part actually really sucks for him. I'm working the rest of the story out in my mind, so i wold still be open to suggestions if anyone has any! There will be some more training scenes, and Ezra might get an arm broken or something like that. EvilMindedZ was not happy with me when I told her what I had planned... So... yeah.**

 **Please comment! I read all my reviews and I love feedback. Even if they're flames, well, maybe not. I haven't gotten any of those yet. Note: The more reviews I get the quicker I'll be. Thank you for all your support! May the Force be with you!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello! Miss me? Of course you did! It's been two days, so that means I absolutely** ** _must_** **update. The story has a mind of its own. That, and the fact that I have a tendency to post things at the beginning of the month to kick it off in a great way! So, yeah... I updated** ** _Reluctant Master,_** **which I haven't touched in a long time (BTW: That was my first rebels fanfic and it is about a year old!) So, here it is. Enjoy!**

Ezra walked out to the medical bay, one arm still clutching his side. His cracked ribs were healing, he could tell that much. It still hurt beyond words though. The Seventh Sister stood to his left. He could sense that her mind and body were ready to grab him in case he tried to run at any given moment.

So, he wouldn't run. Not yet at least. If he tried to escape too soon, she would pull him back, stop playing cat and mouse, and break him without a second thought. Then, if that happened, he would truly be dead.

"You know that I'm smart enough not to run," he spoke. His own voice surprised him. It was tired, cold, and distant. He hated the sound of it. _It's just because of the situation. I won't be like this when I get home._ He thought to himself, trying to calm his fears of his personality changing.

"Good," The Seventh Sister said, her voice devoid of emotion, so much that she might as well have been a droid. "That way I know you will not attempt anything idiotic." He said nothing, just stared on ahead. "You would not attempt something _now,_ at the least."

Ezra fought to control his feelings, she was on to him. She sensed what he planned to do. He'd have to tread more carefully. A lot more carefully. Chances were that escape could only be carried out in one swift move. If he failed the first time, it would be unlikely that he could try, try again. He'd probably be dead if he failed that first time.

For the moment, he forced himself not to think about all of it. He could risk the Seventh Sister knowing his every move.

Ezra noted where his cell was in relativity to the training room. If the place had a training room, it could not be an ordinary prison. The empire never treated their captives so well as to give them the luxury of exercise.

The door closed as soon as Ezra stepped into the cell. At this point, it felt like a closet. Small, cramped, dark. Even darker now since Ezra had stepped outside of it.

When Ezra was sure the Seventh Sister was gone, he began thinking hard about his escape plan. _I need to figure out what system I'm in. That's the first priority… Then, I'll find the communication room, and contact the_ Ghost. _At that point, they'll have enough clues to find out where I am._

He considered of how he could convince the Inquisitor to trust him. That part was less straightforward. It was obvious that she knew that he planned on leaving. If he could just make it look like he was joining her on the Dark Side, he could make it out.

He thought about it so hard that it gave him a headache. Still working a plan out in his head, until he fell asleep in the spot on the floor that he'd designated as a bed. _I'll figure out a way. Sooner or later._

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.

.

"Your task was to gather information about the rebels, not take an apprentice," the Fifth Brother roared angrily. The Seventh Sister turned to him, annoyance in her Force signature.

"And what business of it is yours?"

"We are not in need of a new recruit! You were ordered to-"

"The boy is more powerful than he knows! Training him will bring us to destroy more rebels that we could with just his knowledge." She paused, knowing a point that would help her win the argument. "He knows next to nothing of the rebellion."

"What?!"

"What were you anticipating? He's only a child. Are you so short sighted that you would assume he carries highly sensitive information?" She smiled as everything tipped to her favor. "You may want to kill him, but he is under my jurisdiction for now. It's his life now or hundreds of rebels later. Now, which would be more effective to bringing down the rebellion?" She asked condescendingly.

The Fifth Brother growled. "He must be able to use the Dark Side in a matter of weeks if he is to stay alive. If he cannot, I will tear him apart."

The Seventh Sister chuckled. "That is not a problem. I have made him hate me. In time, he will hate his former master for abandoning him. He will hate his friends for allowing him to get captured. He will hate himself for killing a man in a few days. His rage will bring him to our side."

 **Sorry that this one was a bit short.. this is all build up to some serious plot twists and stuff coming up! The previous chapter got over 360 views, so thank you for that. Everyone who read it. I only got 5 reviews, so if you read this chapter, I would really appreciate it if anyone who is remotely interested in this story reviews. I feed off of reviews! Symbiotic relationship, guys... I give you chapters faster if you give me reviews! I NEED FEEDBACK! May the Force be with you! Happy August! (=**


	12. Chapter 12

**I've returned! Sorry it took so long! I've had this chapter written for awhile, but I had planned to write another fanfic as well and release them at the same time. Sadly, I never got around to that, but I will... sometime. Anyway, I did some editing. For the record, this was a difficult chapter, but as long as it got written, I hope you like it!**

Ezra was beyond frustrated for what felt like several weeks later. In all that time he hadn't been given a new room (A/N: Keep in mind, the boy is living in a durasteel box right now. You really can't blame him for complaining about this), he'd made no contact with the crew, the Seventh Sister obviously didn't give him any of her trust, and everyday he'd be escorted from the medical bay by the Seventh Sister with mending bones and fading bruises.

Holding the balance between the light and the dark was nothing easy for him. His rage at his situation grew by the day. Keeping his anger in check felt near impossible at times. It was a constant struggle. There were times that he doubted that he could even hold onto the person who he was.

"So," Ezra began as the cell door slid open. "What are we doing today?" He shuddered when he heard the casual tone in his voice. It sounded calm and not nearly as cold as it had been earlier. He couldn't decide if this was good or bad. Did it mean if he was accepting the capture?

Whatever was happening, the Seventh Sister could sense it as well. She didn't say anything about it, but Ezra knew there was a wicked grin on her face. His nonchalant mood darkened. "You're going to get used to it sooner or later," She said in a strangely comforting way.

"That's not happening," Ezra muttered.

"It will, especially after today." The Seventh Sister kept a scary, cold demeanor. Shivers crawled up his spine.

"What's so special about today?" Ezra asked, trying to keep the actual curiosity out of his voice. There was no response to his question. Ezra groaned, realizing that he wouldn't get an answer until they reached the training room. _Right, the training room._ He thought. _The training room where I've lost a molar, broken four ribs multiple times, shattered a leg, cracked a bone in my arm twice, and gotten over twenty fractures. That training room. Let's see if I'll make it out this time._

When they arrived at the training room, a violet Twi'lek girl knelt in the middle of the room. Ezra stiffened, though he didn't know why. "You mind telling me what's going on," Ezra managed to say through gritted teeth. He didn't know why he felt so on edge, but the Force told him to tread carefully. Ezra figured out why he got such bad vibes from her the second she released her Force signature. The dark side set in like a heavy mist.

"Her name is Sorja," the Seventh Sister replied, without emotion. "She is one of the children we raise to become inquisitors." Ezra glanced at Sorja again, not knowing what to think. How could she give off that much dark side energy? By the looks of her, she was Ezra's age… maybe even younger. "It does not take a genius to piece together what will happen."

The Seventh Sister flung a lightsaber to the ground by Ezra's feet. Sorja activated her weapon. He didn't like what he sensed. She _would_ kill him. She would achieve rank of inquisitor, and it would all start with his dead body on the floor. _This is only self defense._ He thought to himself as he took up the saber. "The winner will be officially deemed my apprentice," the Seventh Sister announced. _Can I just forfeit, in that case?_ Ezra mentally remarked, but he could read between the lines. The loser of this battle wouldn't make it out of the training room, not alive at least.

Sorja came at him faster than he expected. He barely had time to block the blow. "I will win. This has been what my training was leading up to," she hissed as she pushed her lightsaber against his with all the strength of a wampa. Ezra pushed back, determined not die. He cared nothing for winning, but killing someone was out of his capabilities. Or so he prefered to think.

"We don't have to do this," he said through gritted teeth, as their faces were inches apart. It was a lie and he knew it. Maybe it was simply wishful thinking, since he didn't want to fight to the death.

"Are you an idiot or something?" the girl questioned snidely. "One of us must die, and the other will be trained as an inquisitor. This is how things work." Ezra could hear some hint of sadness in her voice and he could see it in her eyes. Though he didn't want to, he took advantage of Sorja's distraction. His leg made a connection with the back of her knee, bringing her crumbling to the ground. He leapt away the nanosecond the pressure on his lightsaber lessened.

He could sense a raised eyebrow from the Seventh Sister, but he shook it off. He wouldn't play her sick game. He wouldn't kill someone because she wanted him to. Sorja rose from the ground, the pain in her eyes vanished. Anger was the only thing that showed. She charged at him in a rage. "I'LL KILL YOU!" she screamed. Anger flowed off her in waves.

She Force pushed him back a few feet, disturbing his center of balance. He toppled over and fell flat on his back. Instinctively, he thrust the lightsaber in front of his body to protect himself. His action was just in time too. For within a split second, her lightsaber crossed with his. "Are you trying to make a fool of me? Distracting me, so you can look impressive?" she growled. Ezra somehow managed to force himself into sitting position. The blaze of the sabers filled his vision.

"No," he responded as he held onto his lightsaber with one hand, grabbed Sorja's arm, and threw her halfway across the room with the help of the Force. "I just wanted to get out of here without killing you." But mercy was only getting him so far. Options ran through Ezra's head. Sorja could win, but he'd be dead. They could reach an agreement, but the Seventh Sister would probably kill them both in the blink of an eye. He could win because he did sense a bit of a skill difference between him and the Twi'lek, but that would lead him to having his first kill. _Well, those are some lousy options._ He thought. He hated each one, however, the better option seemed to be the third, in his case at least...

Her recovery time was incredible, and it was Ezra who had to prepare himself for the next blow. "And you think _I_ want to kill you?" Sorja muttered, her eyes giving way to sadness again.

"Well, yeah," Ezra muttered as he used the Force in his steps to enhance his run. "You are training to be an inquisitor. They tend to want to kill me and my friends."

A torrent of anger hit him at full force. She collided with him, hard. "It's- not- like- I- ever- wanted- this!" Sorja said each word between attacks. Her lightsaber swung like a pendulum, strike after strike rained down on Ezra's weapon. The series of blows finally ended when she seemed to lose her strength. Her blade stopped moving and it simply locked with Ezra's. Her body shook with small sobs.

Tears shone in the red light as they fought. Ezra's eyebrows raised involuntarily. "You're the same as me," Sorja muttered under her breath. "Do you doubt that I want to live as much as you do? If you hate inquisitors so much, then why do you continue to fight? " He wasn't the same as her, he knew that for sure. Fake tears and sad stories wouldn't convince him of his opponent's predicament. Inquisitors deceived, they lied, and they killed. Once this girl grew up, she'd be no different. She'd go after rebels like the _Ghost_ crew or she would go after the actual _Ghost_ crew. He would get back to them no matter what!

Ezra ducked as she swung her lightsaber at his neck. "For one thing, I don't want to die," he said as he kicked her in the stomach. Sorja gasped for air, and Ezra lowered his blade. "For another," he said when she came at him again. "I have a family to protect!"

Sorja smirked, an action that reminded Ezra of the Seventh Sister. Her skills were suddenly sharper, her cuts, more precise. Her leg came out of nowhere, nailing him in the ribs. Ezra gagged as the sickening crunch of his ribs cracking filled his ears. There was no doubt about it. Sorja had played him. She'd pulled a Seventh Sister and messed with his head. He wouldn't be surprised if the Seventh Sister had personally helped Sorja master that technique.

The kick had sent Ezra flying. He hit a durasteel wall with a clang sound. He raised his lightsaber as colors, shapes, and stars danced on the edges of his vision. He shook his head to clear it, which made it throb instead. A demented laugh came from Sorja. "I win."

She lunged at him. Ezra wouldn't be fast enough to dodge or strong enough to parry her blow. Aside from that, he was frozen with fear. Ezra's heart pounded like a hammer against his chest. Time slowed down, every second ticked by painfully. _I don't want to die here! I want to be home with them!_ Ezra thought. Even to himself, his thoughts sounded small and desperate, like a child's plea.

He did the only thing he could think of in his pitiful, scared state. He rose on shaking legs, held up his blade, and impaled Sorja's chest.

Her eyes were something that Ezra could never unsee. The utter surprise and pain of a lightsaber sticking through her chest. In the moment that Sorja's life began to leave her body, her eyes flicked down to the saber in her chest, and then to Ezra's face. Then, the light started to fade. Ezra deactivated the lightsaber, and Sorja's body hit the ground with a sickening _thunk._

Her eyes gazed at the ceiling. She coughed, and blood splattered from her mouth. Ezra shuddered as drops of her blood landed on his hands as though it hated him for what he had done. _I killed someone._ The voice rang in Ezra's head. "Family," Sorja whispered. Her voice was so faint, so far away that Ezra almost hadn't heard her. "I had one too…" The girl's voice trembled as much as Ezra's hands. "I… would… do anything… to see them… one… more… time."

Then, like the sunset, the light in her eyes ebbed away into darkness. Ezra stared at her once rich amber colored eyes that were now glassy. He couldn't look at them anymore. His blood splattered fingers shook as they gently closed her eyes.

Her dying words had been about a family. Maybe she really had been like him. People never use their dying breaths for lies. _She was like me, and I killed her…_ Ezra flinched as a cold hand rested on his shoulder. "Congratulations, _my_ apprentice," the Seventh Sister said from behind him.

He was numb all over, unable to get up, unable to think of anything else. Hours may have passed, and he was still kneeling there, unable to completely process what had happened. Hours passed, and he still felt the impact of his blade against Sorja's skin. The drops of blood on his hands seemed to burn into him as though they were acid.

 **I only added that ending part about blood feeling like acid because I was learning some organic chemistry these last few days, and we talked about pH values and stuff. Blood like acid is pretty** ** _basic_** **if you ask me... (Sorry, bad joke =P ) Blood shouldn't feel like acid because its pH is 7.4!**

 **BTW: I'm still insanely pumped for the new season... Waiting is torture... Like worse than** ** _Tokyo Ghoul_** **torture... Kaneki had it easy. (I'm kidding... Poor Kaneki ),: )So anyway, that's what I've got so far. I'll try to come out with the next chapter soon! Please Review! May the Force be with you!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Responses**

 **Haro4- Well, it's his first kill that's like really direct and up close. On top of that, the Seventh Sister is still putting these thoughts in his head.**

 **Rebel Specter 6- =) =) =) (Evil smile faces)**

 **TheRogueSaint- It's also the birthday of a family member, let's see if she'll let me watch it. (She's not really a _Star Wars_ fan =( )**

 **Specter14- Yeah, that is wishful thinking... sadly... An alliance would have been nice, but can't rewrite the past.. (Well, I mean, I can, but I'm busy...)**

 **Titiaredhead- I'll make a mental note of that. Thanks for the advice! By the way, just you wait, I'm taking an Anatomy class I'll have a ton of bad jokes coming up. Hopefully, otherwise the class would be boring.**

 **YokaiAngel- The effect I was going for!**

 **DaRecklessGhost- Thank you! Here's the update. I hope you're still alive to read it! (=**

 **Epiccomiclover26- I'm glad you stumbled upon this fanfic! I'm surprised you didn't know it was me. I've been rambling about my ideas for future chapters like every day! P.S. We got the lightsabers!**

 **Hello, People! I've been pretty busy lately, and apparently things like school and planning for the future ranks higher than writing fanfiction. Crazy, right? So, I did end up finding time to write this. (I mean obviously). Anyway, I hope you like it!**

Ezra's living situation did improve after that. He no longer lived in the stupid durasteel box, but his new room was locked whenever he was inside. It's not like it mattered to him anymore. Not much mattered to him anymore. Not since Sorja.

He'd killed someone out of fear. Out of desperation. Ever since that moment that he'd seen the light fade from her eyes, he could feel his mental state deteriorating. There was never any blood left in the training room, it had been scrubbed clean as though nothing had ever happened. He could still sense it, he could still feel the impact of her his lightsaber going through her chest. The Seventh Sister didn't give him any sympathy. His training continued as though nothing happened.

Every night all he could dream of was that scene replaying. Over and over.

"We've known the same pain, the same loneliness and you killed me anyway. Why did you do it?" Sorja asked in one of his dreams.

"I'm sorry," Ezra said blankly. "I didn't want to, I just have people I care about who I want to see again… I didn't want you to die, especially not by my hand."

"But you did kill me. There is no changing the past."

"I know."

Ezra was always stone faced and toneless in those dreams, and that scared him more than anything when he'd wake up. He was like them. Cold and unfeeling. Every time, he'd wake up drenched in a cold sweat. After waking up, he didn't have any inclination to sleep again.

"I want to go home," he muttered several times when he woke up. He curled in on himself, his head rested on his knees. He cried alone there, like a lost child. _Jedi aren't supposed to be afraid…_ He thought, trying to remember a time when he was this scared, so he could recall how to deal with it. The only thing that came to mind was when his parents were taken, but that was eight years ago and he never really dealt with it at all. He'd ran and lived on the streets. He couldn't do that now.

It was hopeless, he was trapped, struggling to formulate a plan. An escape plan wouldn't do any good if he didn't even know where he was.

He had a very rough outline of a plan, and he was willing to carry it out if an opportunity presented itself. All he put together so far was that if he could make it to the communications room, he could send a transmission to the _Ghost._ They would track the signal, and they would be able to get to him. The only problem was the Seventh Sister rarely let him out of her sight. When she wasn't training him, she was within twenty feet of him in the medical bay, or he was securely locked in his room.

He swore to himself that if he ever had an opportunity to carry out his plan, he'd take it. It didn't take long for the opportunity to present itself.

Ezra's arm was dislocated, again. He sat on the all too familiar bed in the medical bay, stifling a cry when the less than gentle medical droid popped his arm back into place. He took care to minimize his movement, he didn't need any more injuries.

The Seventh Sister spoke into a comm. "Are you so weak that you would require my assistance?" she remarked. Ezra couldn't make out the words, but there was some angry chatter on the other end. She rolled her eyes. "Alright, I will come." Ezra tensed as she moved closer to him, which was an instinctive action by then. He reached his good hand up to his shoulder, keeping his mind and eyes blank.

The minute she exited the room, a stormtrooper came in. Ezra skimmed the man's mind. Weak, and near empty. He could seriously use this to his advantage. He knew that he normally spent an hour in the med bay. More time if he was knocked out or had a more critical injury, like the time he needed surgery to repair broken bones.

By his estimations, he had about ten minutes of his hour left. The stormtrooper would escort him back to his room/cell, and probably just resume his post or do whatever stormtroopers in this facility did.

If Ezra hadn't been weighed down by guilt, he would have smiled to himself. This would be easy enough.

The stormtrooper didn't even keep a tight grip on his arm. Maybe it was because he had a new, special status as an apprentice. Whatever it was, he didn't care. As long as he could make it out, nothing mattered. Ezra made the decision to use a mind trick. A stormtrooper lying unconscious on the floor would look a bit suspicious. _I'll need to get it right within the first few times. If I don't, I'd be better off dead._ Ezra frowned as he remembered that he had never learned how to perform mind tricks. _Now's as good a time as any to learn._ He thought to himself. _If I believe in myself…_

"You will escort me to the communications center," Ezra said, trying it for the first time. His Force signature skimming the man's mind.

"What did you say?" The trooper lashed out at him, grabbing him by his shirt. "I was told to notify the inquisitor if you tried anything like that." He reached up to press a button on his helmet to activate the built in comm.

Ezra stopped his hand an inch short of the button with the Force. He couldn't let him alert anyone. Once the Seventh Sister was on to him, he'd probably be thrown into the durasteel box again. Force knew when he'd ever come out!

"You _will_ escort me to the communications center. _Now._ " Ezra's Force signature raked along the trooper's mind now. He could sense pain from the man, but he didn't care. He'd been through too much pain to flake out now because he gave an enemy a headache.

The stormtrooper's hand dropped to his side. He released Ezra's shirt. "I will escort you to the communications center now." Ezra allowed himself a satisfied grin. _Not bad for a first time._

The stormtrooper lead him to the communications center, without a second glance from anyone. Before entering, Ezra performed another Jedi mind trick on the trooper, it drained his energy, but if he had any chance of contacting the _Ghost_ , he'd need to put up with it.

They entered the communications chamber. "Everyone must leave this room," the stormtrooper said. "Orders from the inquisitor." No one questioned the strange orders. They simply left without a word.

"You're on break. You want to get a can of caf," Ezra said, using the Force to influence the man's mind again.

"I am on break. I want to get a can of caf," the stormtrooper echoed, turning around and walking out.

"Okay," Ezra muttered to himself, trying to stay calm. "So far so great."

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.

Meanwhile, on the _Ghost_

There was still nothing. No leads to go on. No way to find Ezra. It had been around a month. Or so Kanan would guess. It could have been more time, but did that really matter? All that mattered was that Ezra was still out of their reach. For all Kanan knew, he could be dead.

The crew had called in every favor they could. From allies, rebels, even people they hated who owed them. "Where is he?" Hera muttered more to herself than to anyone else. She sat in the cockpit with her eyes closed, listening to imperial transmissions to find any clue of where Ezra was being kept. It wasn't the most efficient way to find information, but they'd exhausted every other way.

She'd nearly fallen asleep doing this several times. The stimcaf and her determination were the only things keeping her awake. Hera knew that she couldn't let Kanan do this, not in his current state.

She leaned back in the pilot's chair, massaging her head. Sleepless nights were taking everyone down a few pegs.

"Hello?! Spector six to _Ghost._ Come in!" That woke her up better than hundreds of stimcafs.

"Chopper, focus in on that signal!" Chopper did so, knowing that it would be a terrible idea to be sluggish or disobey Hera now. "Ezra, is that you?" Hera yelled even though the signal was strong enough that he could hear her if she spoke in a regular voice. She could just hardly believe that it was really him. After all that time, she could hear his voice again.

Even from hundreds of thousands miles away, Hera could hear the utter relief in Ezra's voice. "Yes, it's me."

"Everyone get in here!" Ezra heard Hera yell from Force knew how far away. "It's Ezra." It wasn't a second after she'd called to everyone in the ship that the sound of footsteps filled the comm.

"Ezra, are you okay?" Kanan's concerned voice said. When Ezra heard it, he shook with relief. After not being able to even feel his bond with Kanan for so long, hearing his voice seemed to remind him that he did exist, that Kanan was not only a dream of salvation to keep him going. He was real!

"I'm okay for now," Ezra said, his voice breaking with happiness. Tears pricked at his eyes, and he didn't care. Nothing matter, except for the fact that he was talking to them. "I miss you guys," he choked out.

"Where are you?" Sabine's voice asked over the transmission. Ezra frowned, he still had no idea where he was.

"I don't know," he responded. "I haven't been outside in my whole time being here. The daily routine here doesn't give away much. I was hoping you could track the signal."

He could hear the frantic beeps of button being pushed. "They have high security," Sabine said. "I can't even find a way to track it, but we _will_ find you at some point."

Ezra took a shaky breath in. He held onto the determination in her words, hoping they'd help him keep going. "I'm really sick of this place," he said quietly, trying not to think about the things he'd done.

"Well, that's a shame," an all too familiar voice snarled from behind him. Ezra went rigid. "We've given you so much hospitality."

He turned around, his hands growing clammy, his stomach dropping as though he was freefalling. The Seventh Sister was flanked by two stormtroopers. Ezra should have been more scared, but in being reminded that he still had a family to go back to, he found some kind of inner bravery that he'd wished he had all along.

.

.

.

They heard all of it. The grotesque noise of Ezra being strangled, the words "Sieze him," the cry of pain when the stormtroopers nearly yanked his arms out of their sockets as they grabbed him. The members of the _Ghost_ crew yelled for them to stop, they yelled threats, they yelled profanities. Even though it was no use.

"If you hurt him again, I'll-" Kanan began to say over the transmission. He was cut off by a long beep.

"Really, I'd ask you to stop talking," the Seventh Sister said. Hera looked down at the cockpit's panels and shook her head. Their voices were no longer getting through to the imperial ship. "However," the Seventh Sister continued, her voice gaining a sadistic edge. "I will allow you to listen."

.

.

.

She turned her attention from the _Ghost_ to Ezra. "Did I not warn you that there would be consequences to idiotic behavior?"

Ezra smirked. It felt like it had been years since he'd stood up to her in any way. Although he knew that he was really in for some severe form of punishment, it felt good to almost be himself again. "I don't think you did," he said more calmly than he felt. "But, It's always possible that I wasn't listening."

The Seventh Sister rolled her eyes. This change in him would put his training back a few weeks. He was so much more malleable when he was terrified and weak. What an annoyance!

She smiled and that made a Ezra's stress levels spike. It didn't catch him off guard as it used to. He understood now that she smiled like that specifically to put him on edge. The part that really unnerved him was that whenever she plastered that smile on her face, it was likely that she would do something that would get him hurt.

"Do you recall me saying 'I only need you alive, that doesn't mean in one piece?" she asked, sounding casual as if she was asking him to remind her of something she'd forgotten. Ezra's shoulders arched back as much as they could since they were being restrained by stormtroopers.

Ezra didn't answer, keeping his lips pressed in a straight, tight line. The Seventh Sister nodded at stormtrooper on Ezra's right. His grip on Ezra's arm tightened, and he swung his fist, landing a solid punch on Ezra's face. It wasn't hard enough to knock him out, but it throbbed like heck. "Answer the Inquisitor!" the trooper barked.

"Do you remember now?" the Seventh Sister inquired.

Blood dripped from Ezra's nose on to the floor. "Yeah," he said as steadily as he could. _She wouldn't really do what she's threatening, right?_ Ezra thought nervously. _She's just bluffing, just trying to scare us._ That's what he told himself, but at this point he couldn't be sure.

Before he could think another thought, the Seventh Sister had her lightsaber in hand. It seemed to be at the speed of light that she ignited it, and pointed it at Ezra's throat. His panic rose. He struggled, but the stormtroopers held him tightly. He wanted to yell or scream in fear, but he kept himself quiet. That was what she wanted, for the _Ghost_ crew to hear the pain he was in. That was why she left the transmission going, to play this twisted mind game. All he could do was glare at her with hate filled eyes.

She chuckled. "I can see the hatred in your eyes, Apprentice. Well Done." She didn't put her lightsaber away, but she lowered it. Waves of hatred rolled off of Ezra. He hated her, he hated the stormtroopers, he hated his Force inhibitors.

 _Calm down!_ Some small part of him yelled in his mind. _This is exactly what she wants. If you give into hatred, she'll win. Is that what you want?_ Ezra bit the inside of his cheek, realizing that the voice was right. He couldn't let her destroy him from the inside out. That fate would be worse than death. He took a breath in, soothing himself. It would all be okay, he'd get out of this, and he would stay himself.

The Seventh Sister gave an exasperated sigh. "You were so close," she said, suddenly swinging her blade at his leg, just above the knee. That was when he screamed.

Ezra's brain didn't even register pain until a few seconds later. He yelled as he stared down in horror at his severed leg. The calm, brave feeling that had set over him earlier dissolved, leaving him with nothing but shock, rage, and pain.

The wound was cauterized, the burn was still present, rising up to the rest of his body. It felt as though his body temperature rose by fifty degrees. He wanted to act strong, brush it off if losing his leg was no big deal. Ezra opened his mouth to say something, but all that he could manage was a small whimper. Suddenly, he was grateful for the troopers holding him up, there was no way he could have balanced himself on one foot.

The Seventh Sister reached to Ezra's face with long, slender fingers. They grasped his hair and she yanked his head forward. His world spun in and out of focus. He yelped in pain, but the Seventh Sister was oblivious. "Listen to me, Padawan. If you attempt something like this again, I will start with your fingers, breaking them one at a time. I'll take off a nail if I feel like it. I'll snap your wrist, after that the bones in forearm. It will end with me cutting off the broken bones in your arm."

Ezra's eye weren't focusing, but he could see her face and hear her voice enough to know that her threat was not a bluff. She must have seen that he was fading fast. She made an annoyed sound, and pushed his head back. "Get him to the infirmary," she commanded as Ezra's vision faded out. "He'll need a new leg."

 **Awww... Sad. Ezra lost a leg. He might need a tissue, like bone tissue, blood tissue or Stratified Squamous Epithelial (makes up skin) tissue. (Bad anatomy joke) I was in the mood.**

 **It's when I write chapters like these that I worry for my for my mental state. I mean, ask anyone I know, I'm generally a really happy person, then I write stuff like this or have a huge preference for really sad shows. I think I've learned to live with it by now. (= Anyway, how does everyone feel about this chapter? I've actually been planning to cut off Ezra's leg for a long time, like since before I started writing this. Please review! I love the feedback. May the Force be with you!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello! It's me again! Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter! I really appreciate that people responded to Ezra losing a leg and possibly his sense of humor, even though it was his femur that was cut and not his humerus. I just think a lot of people would lose their sense of humor after something like that, but who am I kidding? He's Ezra! SARCASTIC COMMENTS SHALL LIVE ON! (BTW: That was all a failed attempt at another Anatomy joke... What is this class doing to me?) Anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

Ezra's eyelids felt like they'd been glued shut with hot glue. Every muscle felt like it had been stretched and strained too far, especially his leg. He couldn't quite remember what happened. Kanan must have trained him hard. It wasn't uncommon for Ezra to wake up with sore limbs or a few bruises. He reached up to rub the sleep from his eyes, but he couldn't.

His hands were held down at the wrists by durasteel restraints, that sure was unnerving. Ezra's eyes snapped open, bright lights above his head stabbed his brain. He wasn't on the _Ghost._ Instead of being home, he was surrounded by harsh lights; strange, masked faces; and fear. "Blast it," an unfamiliar voice muttered. "Give him another few doses. Last thing we need is the kid to pull a magic trick."

"No," Ezra tried to say, his voice not working. He tugged against the restraints, but they didn't give. All he'd managed to do was nearly dislocate his shoulders. "LET ME GO!" Ezra screamed, his voice cracking with hatred. _Karabast!_ He thought angrily as one of the people pushed his writhing shoulders down to a cold metal surface. One of the others pulled his hair away from his neck. The guy held a syringe to Ezra's neck. Burning accompanied the puncture. The world blurred into a giant mess around. Ezra's mind clouded over, but he refused to let that put him under.

 _I'm not going down that easy!_ Even as he thought it, he was slipping away. Desperate to stay awake, enraged by whatever was happening, he did the only thing he could to do. He embraced his fear, his anger, his hate. It was something that Kanan told him never to do, but in that moment, he couldn't care less about what Kanan had taught him or what Jedi were supposed to do. He was sick of everything.

The people who'd surrounded him clutched their throats and kicked into open air as they rose from the ground at his will. He was hardly aware of what was going on, all Ezra knew was that everything was spinning out of control.

His hands were still pinned down, which made it harder to channel the Force. But he could still do it. _This is what she was talking about._ He thought as he managed to unleash his power with a drugged brain and bound hands. _This is what power feels like._ The power rushing through his veins was for one moment, the most incredible thing he'd ever experienced. However, it was short lived. It poured out of him like sand through a sieve, leaving him with nothing.

 _Come back._ He begged the power, the feeling he'd just had. It didn't respond to him. One of the people recovered, and jabbed another needle into his neck. His vision distorted beyond recognition, and then went dark.

…

"Your apprentice is not worth training," the Fifth Brother retorted. He'd never been on board with the Seventh Sister training Ezra, especially after the incident. If they hadn't been more careful about cloaking their signal, the rebels could have found them. Not that it mattered that much, if they were foolish enough to infiltrate, they would be incarcerated within the first five minutes of their little rescue mission.

"He's more powerful than he knows," the Seventh Sister said emotionlessly. "The boy is still worth the effort of training."

"He contacted his allies! That's reason enough to-"

"And I punished him accordingly," she said sharply. "He won't attempt that again unless he's at peace with losing an arm."

"It would have been in our best interests to kill him when we cornered them in the medical station," he said with frustration. "I should tear him apart right now."

The Seventh Sister rose from her seat, looking him straight in the eyes. "Doing that would not be wise."

…

Ezra did not like his new leg. It wasn't just because of the uncomfortable feeling of the metal. It didn't act as a simple limb replacement to him. It acted as painful reminder that he wasn't who he used to be. He was something he didn't want to be, something less than a person.

He massaged his temples. Whatever happened in the operation room or wherever he'd nearly killed those people was over. His hands weren't restrained anymore, though he was probably in a durasteel box again. Everything around him was pitch black. He couldn't be sure of anything anymore, his head wasn't clear at all. The after effects of what they'd injected into him was worst that the actual effect.

 _I'm going to get out of here._ He told himself. _Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but it will happen._ He didn't even know if that was true anymore. He'd been thinking the same thing for the last three months and all he'd accomplished was killing someone, sending a signal that couldn't be tracked, and losing a leg. Escape was a sad, desperate dream at this point.

Ezra turned onto his side, hating the feeling of rock hard bed. As he moved, the world seemed to shudder around him. The drugs had yet to run their course. He swallowed the pain of the headache that came on, and closed his eyes.

Suddenly, the door slid open, bringing in an unwelcomed shaft of light at seemed to pierce through his eyelids and reach his brain. It was probably the Seventh Sister. A sudden spike of fear went through Ezra, but was gone nearly immediately when he realized that he no longer cared about what could happen to him.

He opened his eyes groggily, only seeing the large shadowy outline. He knew instantly that it wasn't the Seventh Sister, instead it was the Fifth Brother. Now the levels of Ezra's fear rose and didn't go down.

There were few things he understood about the inquisitors, but he knew for sure that the Seventh Sister wouldn't kill him, not right away at least. He knew only one thing about the Fifth Brother: he might kill him. Ezra understood that there were some arguments between the two inquisitors, a few revolved around his life.

His fears were confirmed as the Sith reached for his lightsaber. Ezra tensed. He wasn't going to wait around for the blow to come, he jumped off of the metal slab that acted as a bed. The world around him seemed to shake, refusing to steady itself for his sake. His mind wasn't too good right then, and his coordination was even worse. He couldn't move quickly enough. Even if he ran out the open door, he'd still be an easy target.

Ezra's vision got even worse. It swayed in and out of focus, becoming blurrier every time he inhaled. The Fifth Brother watched with amusement for a moment, before he decided to finish the job.

Ezra was lifted off his feet by his neck. Whether it was the Fifth Brother's hand or the Force, Ezra didn't know and didn't care. He just wanted it to release him! He kicked out blindly as his vision only worsened. "The Seventh Sister said that you had potential. I have always been certain she was mistaken."

The bones in his neck threatened to shatter. He'd die here, and it didn't matter if he accepted it or not. There was absolutely nothing he could do about it. Ezra cursed mentally. His thoughts went to the _Ghost_ crew. _I wanted to see you guys just one more time._

Suddenly, the pressure on his throat ceased all at once. He fell to the ground, hard. He went blind for a few seconds.

Red blades was the first thing he could piece together. The Seventh Sister and the Fifth Brother were dueling furiously. Ezra was sure he was mistaken, but as his vision cleared further, he could see that it was real.

"I warned you not to harm my apprentice," the Seventh Sister yelled, lunging at the Fifth Brother.

"You're going soft, Seventh Sister," the Fifth Brother responded. "The boy is not powerful enough to join our ranks. A useless organism." He struck her side with his saber, she cried out in pain. A sound that made her seem so much more alive.

 _So, she actually can feel pain._ Ezra thought as he gave a small attempt to crawl away while there was a distraction. He faceplanted, his whole body felt like it was shattering into a million pieces. He couldn't stay awake for much longer.

The next thing he saw was a severed half of the Fifth Brother. It landed next to him. The eyes looked off into space, glassy and unmoving. He was dead. Ezra felt a wave of nausea, he held back the urge to vomit. The world didn't seem to exist any more, he couldn't process what the heck was going on.

Hands on his shoulders pulled him back to reality. "Ezra, are you alright?!" a female voice yelled. For a moment, Ezra thought it was Hera, but he could sense the Force signature. It was still cold, but somehow, it was soothing.

Ezra curled in on himself, still jarred from what he'd been through. He glanced at the Seventh Sister's wound. He guessed that it wasn't life threatening, but it most likely hurt a lot. "Why did you do that?" he asked quietly, letting his curiosity get the best of him.

She put a hand to the injury. "Because a master will do anything to protect her student," she said. She saw Ezra staring at the corpse of the Fifth Brother. "He's wanted to kill you since the minute he sensed your presence on the medical station."

Ezra grimaced, and that earlier hit to the head, drugs, and shock dragged him from being alert. He mumbled something incoherent before passing out.

The Seventh Sister sighed as she caught him before he could hit the floor. "Another concussion?" she murmured.

She winced as she lifted herself and Ezra from the ground. The wound had brought on a lot of pain. The infirmary wasn't far, but it would feel like one hundred miles with her injury.

…

As the medical droids treated Ezra, the Seventh Sister smiled to herself. Her plan had gone perfectly. The Fifth Brother was dead and Ezra was beginning to trust her. She'd sensed his trust when he'd collapsed. It was only a matter of time before he joined her on his own will.

 **She's so manipulative... So, please review! May the Force be with you!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello to all the** ** _Star Wars Rebels_** **fans out there! How's life? I've had a bit of a hard time with putting this chapter together. Characters are not all that easy to write... I'm posting this in celebration of me finally taking a test on the urinary system. I appreciate the Nephron, but I also hate it... Much like how I used to feel about Cad Bane.**

 **I'd like to clarify some stuff real quick. Arcane Charmcaster brought up the point of the Seventh Sister's line: "A master will do anything to protect her student" could be a reference to her past. That is half of the case, but the Seventh Sister was primarily implying that Kanan was not there to protect him.** ** _She_** **was. Aside from that, it is a reference a backstory.**

 **Anyway... Enjoy!**

It was uncommon for Ezra to be so confused and conflicted. The Seventh Sister had threatened him, kept him from his family, tortured him, made him kill someone, and cut off his leg. This all pointed to her being evil. However, Ezra couldn't easily ignore the fact that she'd saved him, killed a comrade for him, and had gotten wounded in the process.

 _Because a master will do anything to protect her student._ The words rang in his head. He'd never called himself her student. He was Kanan's student. He was not a servant of the dark side. His loyalties were with the _Ghost_ crew, the rebellion, and the light side of the Force. All that was true, right?

It was at this point that he couldn't remember anymore. He'd wanted power. He was far from it, and the Seventh Sister could help him attain it. Ezra shook his head to himself as he lay on a bed in the infirmary. Everything was so messed up. He couldn't trust the Seventh Sister, he knew that from the moment he'd met her in the abandoned medical station. Things weren't starting to look that way anymore.

The _Ghost_ crew didn't come for him. And at this point, if they hadn't already come, it was unlikely that they would even come at all. Ezra didn't want to think about it. His head hurt enough as it was, there was no need to get into the deep, hard questions. He resolved to think about it later when he could deal with it.

…

The Seventh Sister pressed a hand against the thick bandages that bound her side. Her injury was giving her more pain than she'd anticipated. It was one of those rare times that she had miscalculated. She swallowed the pain. It was no different from anything else she'd suffered through her life.

It was a day of rest. Not for her as much as it was for Ezra. He was the one who was suffering the most right then. The Seventh Sister's pain was just on her body. Ezra's was all within his mind. He wouldn't be stable for the next twenty four to forty eight hours, not after learning to trust her and dealing with reality.

She held no remorse about it. After all, she'd gone through the same thing. She remembered everything. Her Jedi master who'd promised to keep her safe and then abandoned her through death. The confusion and the fear she'd felt when the clones turned their blasters on them. The Inquisitor who'd found her and saw her potential, killed her old master, and taught her how to unleash her power.

She would admit to being as hostile and traumatized as Ezra back then. She could say from experience that he would be fine. Once he was broken, things could only get better from there. That's how it worked out for her.

It was never easy to learn that everything you'd been taught was a lie. To learn that the Jedi's teachings spawned weakness. But she knew that Ezra was strong, he'd figure out how to stand on his own and keep moving.

The Seventh Sister winced as she rose, hoping her wound wouldn't split open. She made her way to the infirmary. One little push would move Ezra in the right direction. She was sure of that, but she'd have to be careful. If she pushed too hard, they'd be back to square one.

…

Ezra knew that the Seventh Sister was coming before she got within twenty feet of the door. His fear did not spike as it normally did because somehow he could sense that she wouldn't hurt him. Her cool Force signature no longer felt like the air on Hoth. Now, it felt like something comforting.

Ezra forced these thoughts from his head. She was the enemy, she had taken him from Kanan and the _Ghost_ crew. She specialized in manipulation alone. She'd turn him into something he wasn't.

"How are you?" she asked, her voice low to keep the pain in his head to only a dull throb.

Ezra propped himself on his elbows. "Okay, I guess," he responded slowly, some small part of him not trusting her still. The sudden change in character didn't make him trust her at all. He raised himself to sitting position. His head spun, but he ignored it.

His curiosity of why she'd get herself injured hadn't disappeared at all. She'd threatened his life more times than he could count, so it made little sense that she would use herself as a shield. "A master does anything to protect their apprentice," she said again, sensing Ezra's thoughts.

Ezra cursed mentally for forgetting that she could know his train of thought in an instant. "My old master told me the same thing," she continued. Ezra glanced at her in surprise. "What's the matter?" she asked, sensing his thoughts again. "Does it surprise you that I was a student once?"

It hadn't surprised him, but it was honestly hard to see her as a novice. The same went for pretty much all adults in his life, he never easily imagined them as children or teens. His parents used to tell him stories about when they were kids, but he could only see them as adults because that was the way he knew them.

The Seventh Sister's eyes had an almost sad, faraway look, a look that Ezra did not think she was capable of. "Let me tell you a little story," she began. Ezra normally have rejected conversation from her, but he was too dazed from the medicines, sedatives, and whatever else they'd injected into him.

"My master told me the same thing I told you. He was a strong Jedi." That made Ezra's head rise in surprise. The Seventh Sister saw the look on his face and smiled sadly. "Yes, my first master was a Jedi. We had a strong bond, but that was before I understood the power of the Dark Side."

"Why did you turn?" Ezra asked quietly, not knowing if it was a good idea or not to ask questions.

She turned to him and sighed. "I realized that I was fighting a battle that I couldn't win. It all happened after Order 66." Her words became clipped and short, like how people's words did whenever they didn't want to talk about something. "My master and I got away. We hid for what felt like centuries, and eventually we got an inquisitor sent after us." She paused. "He killed my master, saw my potential, and trained me."

"And you went with it?" Ezra croaked with as much disgust as he could muster in his drained state. He knew that she'd shut him up in some painful way, but she didn't. She just got this very tired look on her face, looking like a completely different person. "Just like that?" he squeaked out quietly.

Though he couldn't stop himself from feeling a twinge of pain for her. He suddenly felt grateful that Kanan and the rest of the crew were still alive. If she'd killed him or anyone else that he cared about, he'd have nothing to hold onto.

"Not quite," the Seventh Sister said coolly. "I fought back for a long time, just like how you've been doing for the past few months." She patted Ezra's shoulder. "Eventually, I realized that he was right about everything. The Jedi never attain true power or keep their promises."

"They keep their promises," Ezra interjected.

It was then that the Seventh Sister turned on him sharply. She did not lash out physically, but Ezra could feel her anger, her pain bounce around in his skull. "You really believe that?" she questioned. "It was my _Jedi_ master who told me he'd be there for me as long as I was his student. It was my _Jedi_ master who acted like he'd protect me and then abandoned me." She regained her composure quickly, acting as though nothing had happened. "The Sith were the ones who _did_ value me."

Ezra didn't want to agree with her in any way, shape, or form, but he couldn't easily ignore the fact that Kanan hadn't come. He hadn't been there to keep him alive when the Fifth Brother was choking the life out of him earlier. The Seventh Sister could see the storm raging behind his eyes. "Get some rest," she said, leaving Ezra alone with his thoughts.

 **Get inside his head. Mwahahaha! Of course the** ** _Ghost_** **crew couldn't come, they're still not able to find him. I feel I should let you all know that there will be very few, if any, chapters that focus on the crew. My whole point in doing that is to keep all of my wonderful readers in same loneliness and isolation that Ezra is in. =)**

 **More importantly, how is everyone feeling about Season 3? Anyone else as emotionally distraught as I am?... I miss Ezra's hair.. and shortness. One minute he's a tiny, little blueberry, and next thing you know he's grown up. I can hear many fangirls crying...**

 **So, thank you all so much for reading this! I wouldn't be able to make it this far without you guys! Please Review! May the Force be with you!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated at all. Has it been long? I don't know... It feels like it's been a long time. I've been busy lately and I started a new fanfiction that one of my friend told me not to write, the idea of it made her sad. So, being the terrible person that I am, I went ahead and wrote it. I also may have written it because she told me** ** _not_** **to write it... Reverse Psychology!**

 **Oh! Oh! I made another terrible joke!**

 _ **Question: Why is Ezra so funny and has pretty eyes?**_

 _ **Answer: Because he has a great Aqueous Humor!**_

 **Go look at a labeled eye diagram...**

 **Anyway, here it is and I hope you all like it!**

Everything felt numb. This time, Ezra knew it wasn't sedatives. He should have been more upset about not seeing the _Ghost_ crew for so long, for slowly turning to the dark side. He felt himself slipping away, and for some reason, it didn't bother him as it used to.

He'd decided that it was just natural to turn at this point.

The rage that used to be suppressed within him seemed to have made its way out. It was apart of him now. It was weird, he didn't feel it, not really. It just seemed to cover him, dormant, waiting to be unleashed in battle, waiting to be provoked. His power was under control, most of the time. If he wanted to use it, his anger, fear, and hatred were on hand.

"Try to land a hit," the Seventh Sister ordered as she stood in a defensive stance. Her wound was still healing. The fact that she was still training Ezra with an injury made him have a higher level of admiration for her. Combat practice like this could not have been easy on her.

Ezra raised his blade, ready to jump into action. He waited for a signal to start, but none came until the Seventh Sister lunged at him with her lightsaber making controlled slashing motions. Ezra dodged. He guessed that counted as a sign to start. "Don't wait for a signal to start," she said sternly. "In real battles, you will have to attack without hesitation."

"Right," Ezra muttered as he blocked one of her blows. He dropped to the ground, trying to slash her legs, but she was prepared for that. She jumped over him, landing on the other side. Ezra barely had time to dodge and prepare to strike again.

Every time he got close, she blocked or got the upper hand. He gritted his teeth with frustration. The Seventh Sister smiled. "I can sense your frustration. Let it take control of your actions. Bend the Force to your will." Ezra nodded.

He still wasn't used to letting emotions take control. Jedi never acted out of emotion, but he had to let that go. Ezra wasn't the same person he had been when he'd originally been captured. A surge of power flooded him as he let his frustration and anger take control.

He attacked. Any defensive tactics he'd ever used were gone. The only thing on his mind was offense. The Seventh Sister wasn't overwhelmed in the least. This was her plan, she'd expected Ezra to react in such a way.

"Eliminate your excess movement," she instructed as she dodged the training lightsaber. "You're only slowing yourself down that way." Ezra didn't take the time or energy to nod, but he did attempt to alter his fighting style.

She calmly watched as his swings of the lightsaber improved. "Better," she commented. "Still unrefined, but it will improve with practice." Ezra kept attacking, though she could sense satisfaction through the bond.

Ezra launched himself up from the floor, with the help of the Force, and attempted to strike from above. The Seventh Sister raised her blade, but Ezra never meant to manage a hit that way. He twisted his body to change his momentum.

The training lightsaber nailed the inquisitor in the ribs. An electric shock accompanied the blow. Ezra would have turned off the blade, but he couldn't let a minor victory make him arrogant. It'd happened before, he'd thought that they'd been done. The blade got unignited, his guard went down, and he got a training lightsaber to his back. No way he'd make that mistake again.

His teacher recovered from the shock in less than a second. She shut off her lightsaber. "As I said before, it's sloppy, but it will improve as you practice."

Sweat beaded Ezra's face, burns covered his skin. "That's enough training for today," she concluded. Ezra didn't leave to go back to his quarters, which was unusual. "What is it?" the Seventh Sister questioned.

"Training is ending early today. Are _you_ getting worn out?" A slight smile showed on his face.

The Seventh Sister raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to question my kindness and take a training lightsaber to your head again? I am alright with continuing your training." Her voice carried a very slight threatening note, but she mainly sounded bored. Ezra was returning to normal, sarcastic.

Ezra didn't pale or show any sign of fear as he once did. He simply shrugged, and walked out. It was weird, feeling normal again. Maybe it wasn't normal if it still felt weird. He didn't cower or cry at night anymore. After losing his leg and learning the Seventh Sister's past, somehow everything didn't seem so bleak.

The pain of not seeing the _Ghost_ crew still weighed on him, but not heavily. Ezra guessed that it would fade with time. The thought did hurt when he thought about it, but he pushed down the pain. If he went back to thinking about the crew or missing them, he'd fall back into his despair. He was getting stronger; he had no time to go back into weakness.

 **Don't turn to the dark side, Ezra! Who am I kidding? He's turning!**

 **Ezra: Why do you do things like this to innocent characters?!**

 **Me: I only really hurt my favorite characters... This is how I show affection... Ask Soramaru, Dunan, Kasari, Kaneki, or Nishiki. They know, and we're all still friends. At least I think we are...**

 **Please review! May the Force be with you!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello! I finally got this chapter up after consulting a few of my fandom sisters! It took me awhile to figure out, but I did it! This chapter is dedicated to one of my friends who just had a birthday. You know who you are, Master! Love ya! Enjoy!**

There were few times the Seventh Sister felt uncertain about something, and this was one of those rare times. Ezra was growing, grasping the dark side with a better understanding. After three months, he'd finally stopped fight and started embracing the darkness. She didn't even have to lock the door to his room anymore. He never tried to escape. It was always possible that he was still afraid of the threat she'd made after she cut off his leg, but he never seemed to consider running or contacting his allies.

Was Ezra ready or not? It was unclear. On one hand, Ezra _had_ proven himself capable of killing and conquest. He'd performed well when he went on missions. She didn't doubt that he held a grudge against his former friends. She could feel his anger whenever he thought about it. They'd left him and he wasn't ready to forgive that. His anger gave him strength that was almost unmatched.

On the other hand, he was reckless, he faltered on occasion, and he didn't take orders well. She doubted that Ezra ever took orders easily. There had been a few missions where he'd shrugged off commands, but still succeeded. For the most part, his disobedience was overlooked. The main issue was the possibility that he would break. He would shatter like glass if something went wrong.

Seeing his former master again could undo everything that he'd become. Being reintroduced to the light could do that to people, or it did the exact opposite. He'd either be drawn back to the light, repelled by it, or driven mad by it. Two of those options were less than desirable, but an insane apprentice was better than one who'd turned back to the Jedi.

If the best case scenario occurred, Ezra would have fully embraced the dark side and there would be one less Jedi in the galaxy. However, there was always the possibility that his master could destroy the apprentice. She marked that down as the least likely to happen, but it wasn't unheard of…

"What's going on?" Ezra walked into the command center. His eyes were foggy and unfocused, and his hair stuck out at strange angles. He hadn't made much of an effort to hide the fact that he just got out of bed. "I could sense your thoughts." He paused, rubbing his eyes. "They were loud."

The Seventh Sister didn't care that her thoughts woke her apprentice up, but she responded as though she did. "Ezra, it's 0200. Go back to bed. If you're tired during combat training, you will not last five minutes."

"I'm aware of that," the boy muttered. "I _was_ asleep, but someone who will remain unnamed-" Ezra coughed for a second. The cough sounded suspiciously like the word _Master._ "Woke me up."

The Seventh Sister sighed. "As much as I appreciate your snideness, it is less entertaining at this time."

"Well, then can you tell me what's going on?" Ezra questioned, taking as seat in an unoccupied chair.

"Planning a mission."

"If that was it, I wouldn't be awake," he mumbled.

He was getting irritating at this point. Maybe giving him an actual room instead of the metal box or cell was not her best idea. _Should have locked him in._ The Seventh Sister thought to herself. "Go back to your room before I call in stormtroopers to forcibly escort you there."

"They wouldn't get me that far," Ezra laughed slightly. "They'd be dead before we make it to the main hallway."

That was true. Even if she told him not to, he wouldn't hesitate to slash his escorts' throats. Not that it was a big concern, they could be replaced easily. He wasn't as weak and squeamish about killing anymore, and that was a step forward. But she was still annoyed with him at that moment. "Before I inject more Force inhibitors." That took the grin off Ezra's face. He shied back a little, but not enough to be noticed by one without Force potential.

Force inhibitors, suppressants, and whatever else she had in a syringe was the Seventh Sister's most powerful weapon against Ezra's attitude. That, and beating his lights out during training. She could rummage through his mind as she used to, but that required too much effort, since he'd developed a habit of always keeping his mental shields up.

"Okay then," Ezra said, defeated. "I'm going to bed." He stretched his arms above his head and left.

He could sense that something was very, very off. He'd never sensed the Seventh Sister to be conflicted, and getting those vibes from her was unsettling. He couldn't help but feel a strong fear take hold of him. Stronger than the fear he felt on a daily basis. Whatever was going to happen couldn't be good.

Just because he was in the mood to reminisce, Ezra thought back to a time he didn't fear as much. That would be when he was with the _Ghost_ crew. Things had been calmer back then. It must have only been a few months ago since he left, but it felt like years. They were far away, gone as far as he was concerned. Somewhere deep inside him, he missed the feeling of security he'd felt with them, but that time was over. He'd sacrificed his feeling of safety for power. It was a good deal.

…

The Seventh Sister made up her mind. If Ezra wasn't ready then, he never would be. He had to kill his former master and friends. It was the final step. He'd have nothing left but the dark side. It would all be over for him, the rebellion, the Jedi.

…

"So," Ezra said as he spun around in the copilot chair. "This was the mission that you neglected to give me the details about it. Mind telling me now?"

The Seventh Sister ignored him as the ship jumped to hyperspace. "You'll see when we get there," she replied when she finally acknowledged him. It wasn't uncommon of her to brush him off for long periods of time or pay him no mind for awhile. He never liked being ignored, which was the exact reason she did it.

"Why do you always keep me in dark?" Ezra complained. "I want to know what to expect on these missions."

"We are working from the _dark_ side, so it makes sense that I would leave you in dark." Ezra glared. "Aside from that, you can't be too strategic on the battlefield. There will always be an enemy who will execute a move that you hadn't expected. That's what I'm trying to teach you."

Ezra could understand that, though he didn't agree. He didn't want to question her teaching methods, not if she was on edge.

Ezra glanced at the coordinates. "Why are we heading into Wild Space?" The Seventh Sister didn't answer. "Which planet is it?" Again there was no response. Ezra sighed. "And we're back to this."

…

They landed on Teth after an hour of flying in silence. As soon as the ship entered the atmosphere, Ezra felt a sudden pull in the Force. It was so familiar, and so close. He hadn't physically shown true anxiety for awhile, but in that moment, he found himself wringing his hands and pacing around the back of the cockpit.

"So, you sense him?" Ezra nodded.

"Thanks for telling me," he murmured sarcastically. He didn't know why he was so scared. He shouldn't have felt like this. He remembered Kanan's Force signature being warm and comforting, it felt angry. He was fine with that. He faced the Seventh Sister's anger daily.

He knew that the anger he felt through the long forgotten bond was not directed at him. Why was he so unsettled by this? It took him a minute before he put two and two together. "You want me to kill him."

"Took you long enough." The Seven Sister glanced at him. "Why are you so panicked about this?"

Ezra hugged his arms. "I don't know." His breathing wasn't normal. The air that entered his lungs felt like it wasn't real, not enough to keep him alive. The ship felt less like a transport ship, and more like a cage.

Sharp fingers pinching his cheek brought him back to reality. "Calm down," his teacher said. "It's not as though you haven't taken a life before. Consider this a test. The endgame of killing him will be you getting stronger. That's your ultimate goal." Ezra nodded, though he was still anxious beyond reason. "Use your training."

Ezra pulled his face away from her fingers, rubbing his affected cheek. "Right," he said. He gave a grimace of pain. "You could have been gentler about proving your point."

The Seventh Sister had no look of remorse. "I was going to slap you across the face, but I decided to take a different approach."

Ezra scowled. "Yeah, it wasn't different enough."

"We can discuss this later." She rose.

"Right," Ezra said as they walked outside. _I'm going to battle my former master._ Ezra thought. _And I will win._

 **A few people wanted Ezra to reunite with the** ** _Ghost_** **crew. Well, here it is. I never promised it would be a happy or smooth occasion. Please Review! May the Force be with you!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Happy Halloween! Hope it's been great for everyone out there! I've been really busy between school, work, and life in general. (Yes, I have a life... I think...) Somehow, I still strive to make time to write. I had to find someway to stay sane since there wasn't a new episode this week... So, here it is. Enjoy!**

Kanan's Force signature felt the same as Ezra remembered it, but he couldn't think about that now. He couldn't look back and remember how comforting it was to feel waves of calm from Kanan when he'd been on edge. Now, he'd have to kill him.

Waves of relief flew from Kanan. Ezra did his best to ignore them; they wouldn't help him at all here. Ezra would be unwavering. He would run a blade through the Jedi's heart without flinching. The weak light within him would finally be snuffed out, leaving him only with the impotent darkness. He forced a smirk to his face. He would do this.

 _Kanan abandoned you. They all did, remember that._ He nodded at his own thoughts. They fueled his anger.

…

Kanan didn't know why he felt so unsettled. Ezra was here, he could sense it. That was crystal clear, but something was very off. At first he thought it was the Seventh Sister's presence, but it was beyond that. It was Ezra.

His Force signature wasn't what he remembered. It was dark. It was cold. It was stained with blood. Kanan swallowed hard. He was feeling sick. That couldn't be Ezra; it had to be a trick or a mistake on his part, but as Kanan stood there, sensing how messed up it all felt, he knew that it wasn't just him. His fears were confirmed when Ahsoka came up next to him.

"You can sense that, can't you?" she said wearily. Kanan knew that she was feeling exactly what he was. He could also hear it in her voice, she didn't want to say what they both knew was happening.

"Of course I can." Kanan clenched his fists. "Force, what did they do to him?"

"What's going on?" Sabine asked, placing her helmet over her head. "The two of you just got really tense." Kanan didn't know how to say it. He couldn't put the horror he felt into words.

"Ezra's different," Kanan murmured. Sabine raised an eyebrow, knowing that something was very, very wrong. The Jedi closed his eyes for a minute. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

"Kanan," Zeb said from behind him. "Whatever it is, we'll get the kid back." Kanan nodded even though only he knew how messed up this entire ordeal would be.

Kanan inhaled deeply. He knew Sabine and Zeb wouldn't like what he needed to say. "I want you two to stay here." Both the girl and the Lasat gave him puzzled and angry looks.

"What do you mean stay here?" Sabine questioned.

"Ezra is apart of the crew," Zeb interjected. "We're helping rescue him too."

Kanan stood firm against their protests. "I said it before, but I can sense it very strongly: Ezra is not the same. The dark side is flowing off him."

Sabine had a dead set look in her eyes. "He may be your padawan, but he's also our friend! We want to help."

Kanan shook his head. "No. You don't understand. Ezra doesn't even feel like Ezra anymore. He's not who he used to be."

"It's not like he'd kill us," Zeb responded.

Kanan sighed. "At this point, I can't say that he wouldn't for sure."

…

 _They're all here._ Ezra thought for a second. He tried not to take comfort in that, since he was going to be the one to kill them all. He shouldn't have been remembering the happy memories that he'd had with them, it would just make what he had to do even harder and he was barely keeping it together as it was.

The Seventh Sister glanced at him and he turned his head to the opposite side of the ship. This was no time to be questioning his resolve. "Let's go now." The words sounded strange, especially since the came out of Ezra's mouth. It wasn't as though he wanted to kill Kanan with all of his soul, but he just wanted to finish this. He wanted to be done with the wavering. Being pulled to the light and to the dark hurt.

It was more than just a physical pain, for both sides yanked with intense force on his being. Who would he be? Which side would he stand on? The ever present battle raged within him. If one side didn't win soon, it would kill him.

Ezra hardened himself as he walked down the ramp. This would be a rough battle. No matter how Ezra looked at it, someone would wind up dead.

He exhaled slowly as the ramp lowered and he walked closer to Kanan's Force signature. Ezra could sense him getting closer and closer with every step. His hand went to his lightsaber out of habit. He had to be prepared to strike at a moment's notice.

Then, he felt like time froze. Kanan stood there, his blade wasn't ignited yet, but his lightsaber was in hand. There was an undeniable look of relief written across his face that caught Ezra a bit off guard. _He abandoned you. He let you get tortured. Now, exact your vengeance._ He heard the Seventh Sister's voice in his mind. He didn't respond verbally, he just nodded slightly.

Out of nowhere, he attacked his former master. Kanan barely had time to shield himself from Ezra's strike. Somehow, Ezra could sense that Kanan had anticipated it.

Their blades locked. Ezra pushed hard, his fury fueling his strength. "Ezra," Kanan said loudly as if Ezra was a mile away. "What are you doing?!"

The boy gritted his teeth and shook his head. Kanan set his jaw grimly. It was obvious that Ezra was under some kind of control, the teenager who had been captured a few months ago would never do this. Ezra's lightsaber swung and just missed Kanan's midsection. If it had found its mark, Kanan would have been cut in half. _He actually meant to kill me just now._ Kanan thought, he'd been able to sense Ezra's bloodlust from the minute he sensed his presence, but somehow, having a sweep with death by his padawan's hand seemed to solidify everything that he feared.

"Why didn't you ever come for me?!" Ezra yelled, his voice filled with rage and betrayal. "You abandoned me!"

"We never abandoned you!" Kanan said as he attempted to knock Ezra's feet out from under him. Not hurting his padawan was putting him at a distinct disadvantage in this fight. "We couldn't find you! Everyone looked for you everyday you were captured." Kanan stopped talking so he'd be able to dodge another blow. "Ezra! Listen to me! She has done something to you. Snap out of it and come back!"

Ezra shook his head again. "Stop lying! She made me see the truth of what power really is."

...

The Seventh Sister stood, watching. Her apprentice had this in hand. If he was worthy enough to be her student, he'd live. A grin made its way to her face. She'd never had any doubts about Ezra. From the moment she'd gone inside his head, she had known what the child was truly capable of.

Suddenly, alerts seemed to fill her mind. Without thinking, she sidestepped as two silvery, white blades came within an inch of her head. Her lightsaber was poised to fight in the same second. "You finally make an appearance," the inquisitor said, her smirk not leaving her face.

The togruta glared. "You tried to turn him against us," she said angrily.

The Seventh Sister chuckled. "I have done more than that. He has turned to the dark side." She lunged at Ahsoka, who quickly blocked the attack. "See for yourself, he intends to kill his former master. My apprentice will succeed."

Ahsoka attacked. "Are you really certain of that? I still sense the light in him."

The Seventh Sister wasn't prepared for such a flurry of blows. Her red blades spun, in attempt to block the attacks. Then, the Sith felt something that she hadn't felt in a long time: defeat. They weren't done fighting yet, but she could sense it. She would lose this fight. She would fail.

In her quick thinking, she punched a button on her wrist. She would _not_ be humiliated by being beaten. As Ahsoka Force pushed her backwards, she smiled slightly. _She_ was the victor of this battle.

… Meanwhile in Ezra's and Kanan's fight…

The real fight was all internal. Sure, Ezra was slashing and attacking Kanan with everything he had, but his mind was elsewhere. _Kill him. Don't kill him. Destroy him! Go home!_ Ezra gritted his teeth, he couldn't afford to be conflicted at a time like this!

Kanan Force pushed Ezra a few feet back. Nothing he did really hurt at all. Ezra knew that he was trying to avoid hurting him, that could get Kanan killed quickly. "Ezra, come on!" Kanan shouted. "This isn't you!"

"Shut up!" Ezra screamed angrily. "I'll kill you!" He said that, but his hands shook as did the rest of him as he charged. Kanan sidestepped the attack, he brought his free hand down on Ezra's wrists. Ezra cried out in surprise as Kanan's grip tightened, causing him to drop his lightsaber.

Kanan pulled Ezra closer. The boy pulled back, but his former master was too strong. "I can sense it, Ezra." Ezra stiffened slightly, his fear boiled over. "You're afraid. You're confused." Ezra struggled more, finally managing to break free.

"I'm not confused, and I'm not scared to kill you!" Ezra reached for his saber through the Force, igniting it the second it flew into his hand. Kanan didn't give him the chance to shoot or stab at him.

"Kid," Kanan said as he swept Ezra's feet out from under him. He hit the ground hard. "I know you've been through a lot lately, but you're coming back whether you want to or not!" He tackled his padawan, holding his arms down to his sides. Ezra fought, kicking, screaming, and writhing. "It's going to be alright." His former master sent waves of calm over him, which Ezra immediately rejected. Kanan hated having to do it, but if he didn't, Ezra would either kill him, die, or turn to the dark side entirely. He couldn't let that happen.

"Let go of me," Ezra yelled. Throwing the back of his head into Kanan's chest. Kanan grunted, but kept holding on.

"Not a second time," Kanan responded. Ezra kicked backward, nailing Kanan in the leg. "Blast," he muttered with pain in his voice. He'd forgotten that one of Ezra's legs had been replaced with metal. The Jedi ignored the possible bone fracture in his leg as much as he could. There was something more important that he had to worry about.

Kanan pulled Ezra in the direction of the _Ghost,_ or so Ezra assumed. His feet dragged in the dirt and he didn't stop fighting. "Let's go home," Kanan said. A cyclone of emotions took over in Ezra's head. He wanted to kill Kanan. He wanted to stop fighting. He missed home. _No wonder why he's so messed up right now._ Kanan thought. _Those sort of conflictions would tear apart anybody._

Ezra's energy was nearly depleted. He'd used his energy in the fight with Kanan, the battle between the dark and light was killing him, he didn't want to fight anymore. He glanced up to see the Seventh Sister in her battle with Ahsoka.

It was weird to see his master to not have the upper hand in a fight. She wouldn't lose though, Ezra had every confidence in that.

Only, he was wrong. The next thing he knew, the togruta was the one standing, holding a glowing, white light at the Seventh Sister's throat. His teacher released a familiar chuckle. If Ezra had been against her, he would have been afraid.

The Seventh Sister Force pushed Ahsoka and ran off the cliff. For a second, Ezra thought that she was gone, but their bond knew better. She was fine. In the next moment, a TIE fighter ascended. Through the window, she met Ezra's eyes. Her face was indifferent, at terrifying ease.

Ezra's eye widened as the TIE flew off, leaving him behind. All the energy he'd lost came back in a sickening rush. Ezra thrashed. "DON'T LEAVE ME!" he screamed. "COME BACK!"

This couldn't be happening. She couldn't be leaving him, not after she'd trained him. Not after she'd made him strong. She couldn't do this to him! Leave him behind in the arms of the enemy. "Let me go!" He fought to raise his arms, managing to free one hand and rake his nails across Kanan's arm. He could hear a sound of pain from behind him as his nails broke skin.

Kanan's grip didn't seem to weaken as he used one arm to reach into his gun holster. "Okay, I can see you're not going to make this easy for me," Kanan said, still restraining a struggling Ezra. "Sorry about this." He switched his blaster to stun and pressed it to Ezra's side. He hesitated before pulling the trigger. It killed him to do it, but there was he had to. For Ezra's sake more than anything else.

Ezra gasped as the electric shock of the stun blast radiated through his side and spread to the rest of his body, shutting down his muscles, pulling him down into darkness again. _She left me._ Ezra thought before his eyes closed.

 **Lol, I almost gave you guys a chapter to the wrong story here. Good thing I noticed before posting! This chapter was hard to write. I might just have a really bad case of writer's block because everything that I've written lately has taken more thought than I've had to put in.**

 **The whole thing of Kanan shooting Ezra was originally going to be him hitting his head to knock him out, but I had a few problems with that. 1) It is possible that Kanan wouldn't hit him hard enough and just end up hurting him. 2) It seemed slightly out of character because Kanan would want to hurt Ezra as little as possible.**

 **A certain friend who will remain unnamed *cough (EvilMindedZ) cough* encouraged me to do hit Ezra multiple times. With the psychological issues he has coming up, I didn't feel the need to do that.**

 **So, that's all I really have to say on this. I hope everyone liked it. Please review! May the Force be with you!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello, People of Earth! I've been busy and dead tired, but I managed to write this chapter. It was not the easiest chapter to write, I had to ask for some editing help. (Thanks a million, EvilMindedZ! I appreciate you!) I also want to say that I would have loved to throw everyone for a loop in that last chapter, but it's not like I could kill Kanan and still have a hint of goodness in my heart. Not in this fic at least. I killed him off in** ** _Gone._** **That is all the Kanan death I can take. So, here it is! Enjoy!**

It was far too common an occurrence that Ezra would wake up and not know where he was. He flinched as he felt a sudden gush of fluid in his arm. It didn't hurt; it was only uncomfortable and jarring, as it always was. Whatever was injected made his head foggier than it already had been.

He forced his eyes to open. It felt like it took forever, but he managed to get them open eventually. The lights were bright, but not quite as strong or uncomfortable as the lights in the imperial complex. His hands were pinned to a surgical table again, the restraints too thick for him to break. The weight of suppressants and drugs press seemed to press down on his lungs. His arm felt like it had been filled with lava, burning.

 _She left me._ The words rang in his head, repeating over and over as though the sound waves had bent and resonated only within his mind. "She left me," he mumbled aloud unintentionally.

Ezra groaned, he couldn't muster enough concentration to sense anything. The ceiling of wherever he was shifted in and out of focus. Ezra strained to get a clear picture, to get a clear idea of where he was. It was useless, he was trapped, he'd been abandoned.

"Again?" A female's voice said. Ezra could only think to describe it as tired, on the verge of being annoyed.

"How can he still be awake?" Another voice asked.

"I'd prefer not to think about it," the first voice answered, a note of pity in her voice. "He must've had a lot of exposure to more potent drugs. We'll have to give him another dose of sedatives."

"Right."

Ezra didn't like where this conversation about him was going. He'd have to make a run for it, even if it was a desperate and failing run. His mind tore through the haze of suppressants. His head felt as though it had been torn like paper. He could worry about that later.

He was scared, just as scared as he'd been when he was first captured, just as scared as he'd been when he'd fought Kanan and his master of the dark side left him. He twisted it to his will. He turned it into strength, reaching to Force. His fingers were numb, but they could still curl themselves into a circle.

Horrible choking sounds erupted from someone. "Dunan!" the second voice cried. Ezra tightened his grip, if he could take them down, if he could scare them off even, he might have a shot of breaking free.

"Son of a -" the person who hadn't been choking muttered angrily. Ezra continued to pull his fingers into a smaller circle. Another gush of fluid flowed into his bloodstream. He could hear coughing, the airway had been released. Ezra glanced at his hand, squeezing it tighter, but there was no effect. That was weird, he could have sworn that he'd been crushing someone's trachea.

 _More suppressants?_ He wondered, his mind not working as quickly as it should have been. _Blast it._ He thought as any Force ability became completely out of his reach. Without it, he was nothing. He'd no strength, no connections, no means of escape. He was scared, and now there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

"Poor kid," the first voice said hoarsely, coughing off the effects of being choked. Ezra bit down on his lip as a cool, gloved fingers pulled the skin of his neck taut and a needle inserted a sedative into his blood. He couldn't say that he was grateful for the vast expanse of blankness that greeted him, but he also couldn't say that he didn't feel immense relief as sleep claimed him.

…

"How is he?" Kanan asked with urgency in his voice as the medic returned from the operation room. She rubbed a sanitizing agent into her hands before answering.

"Well," she began, and the _Ghost_ crew was sure that wasn't a good sign. Dunan was a great medic within the rebellion, and she was known for having a very concise, but not quite blunt, way of speaking, but she sounded uncertain. "As far as I can tell, he's in good shape physically at the moment, although he has several healed fractures, contusions, and other injuries." Her eyes darted to the left as she said the last two words. She was obviously avoiding mentioning the prosthetic leg. It didn't matter. Everyone already knew about it, they'd heard it happen.

"And the chip?" Hera prompted. It hadn't been much of a surprise when Ezra's body was scanned for foreign matter and something popped up. It had been a microchip, lodged in his arm. For the sake of the fleet and their safety, the chip was the first issue to focus on.

Dunan held up a small vial that contained a blood stained scrap of metal. "It was quickly removed. Apparently, it isn't a tracker, but it's been releasing small amounts of chemicals into his bloodstream periodically." She didn't have to say what those chemicals were. Force inhibitors. Just enough to keep Ezra from contacting Kanan through the bond.

"What are you not saying?" Kanan questioned as he could sense that she had one more serious point about Ezra to bring up. One didn't have to be a Jedi to know that the look on her face suggested that she was carefully considering how to voice an unpleasant detail.

Dunan pursed her lips and exhaled. "I don't like to think of what he's been through." She paused, the topic weighing heavily on her mind. "Ezra showed impressive, almost unnatural resistance to the suppressants, which would point to him having extreme exposure to them. He woke up a few times during the operation, and I doubt that he would remember it, but he tried to kill us." Somehow her face was calm, showing few signs that she was almost killed.

"How bad was it?" Zeb questioned.

Dunan inclined her head, letting the light hit bruising on her neck. "It was like I was being strangled, but he was a few feet away from me." She lowered her head again, not seeming to mind the damage too much. "I didn't want to, but we had to administer suppressants as well as sedatives."

"Will he be alright?" Sabine asked. Dunan nodded.

"Physically, I believe he'll be fine." She shuddered slightly and turned to Kanan. "It felt cold." Kanan stiffened a little. Dunan wasn't a Jedi, but even a normal person could sense strong effects of the dark side. The medic forced a slight smile. "You can go in and see him, he'll be out for the next few hours."

The members of the _Ghost_ crew exchanged a few glances. Despite not being in the room, they all knew what to expect. Ezra hooked up to tubes and wires and Force knew what else. If his eyes opened at all, they would likely be clouded over with a drug induced haze. On top of that, he was missing a leg. It would hurt like heck to see.

However, Ezra was family. He may have been bruised and damaged, both externally and internally, but he was Ezra. And he was alive. That simple fact conquered all the pains of seeing him in such a weakened, defeated state.

Each person within the _Ghost_ crew took a breath in and prepared themselves.

 **To quote my friend who forced me onto a ride. "Fear is your friend!" It's probably not really Ezra or Kanan's friend and Force knows it was not my friend as the roller coaster got closer and closer to dropping... I have no idea why I mentioned that. I felt I had to deep down...**

 **Anyone pick up on my slight Easter egg? Comment if you noticed! You know, I give you all special permission to comment even if you didn't notice.**

 **Thank you so much for the support. You guys are the best! Please review. May the Force be with you!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hi! So, life... Umm... I've been busy. I don't know if I enjoy being busy, but I'm working through it.**

 **Right, the Easter egg. To be honest, it was more of a slight reference to one of my past works rather than** ** _Star Wars_** **itself... Sorry about that, Dunan is my OC for a different fanfic. EvilMindedZ got it, partly because I told her when I was plotting the chapter. It was not my most successful fanfiction (that honor goes to this one), but I had some followers, so I assumed a few people would recognize the character... Sorry again. Here's my apology: A New Chapter! Enjoy!**

The thirty second preparation session hadn't been enough. Nothing would be enough to be prepared to see the condition Ezra was in. Nothing would be enough make them ready to know that some of the tubes under his skin were pumping suppressants and sedatives instead of just saline.

The true facts of what Ezra was seemed to sink in further than it had when they'd fought. Without a steady stream of drugs to keep him down, he'd kill. There'd been stories of people who had lost their minds completely after capture. It was actually possible that Ezra could join the ranks of those driven insane by the imperials.

His body was so still, as though he was a corpse. Every member of the _Ghost_ felt a chilly shudder run through them.

Kanan clenched his fists. Thanks to the suppressants, he couldn't sense his own apprentice. The only way the Jedi could tell Ezra was alive was through the machines reading his vital signs.

Sabine's eyes involuntarily lingered on the metal limb. Zeb looked like he wanted to kill someone. Hera gently brushed a few stray strands from his face. They were all thinking the same thing: How could Ezra, their Ezra, look so _broken_?

Everything, aside from his leg, was intact. He had no expression on his face. Yet, everyone knew it. They all knew how broken he was.

It felt like hours. No one knew how long they'd been in that room for. Did it matter at all? Ezra couldn't hear them. He wouldn't respond to their words. He couldn't sense their relieved, but sad Force signatures.

…

It was probably 0300 when Kanan went back to the medical bay to see Ezra. The flow of sedatives hadn't stopped. Ezra was supposed to be off of them by now. An order must have changed. He'd be on the drugs for a while. How long would they be forced into his veins? The man didn't want to think about it.

He took a heavy breath in. _Don't make me regret this, Ezra._ He said through the Force to his padawan, despite the fact that he couldn't hear him. Carefully, Kanan detached the suppressant supply from the tube, making absolute sure that the sedatives remained in tact. Kanan glanced around nervously. If one of the medical staff caught him messing with the tubes, he'd be prevented from seeing Ezra for a long time.

The boy didn't stir.

A good sign.

How the mind worked wasn't a complete mystery to Kanan. He'd been trained as a Jedi after all. _Focus. Concentrate._ He thought, willing himself to calm down. He took a few deep breaths.

He focused on the bond. It felt buried and long forgotten, but it was there. Another bond overlapped it. Kanan shuddered, there wasn't much question of whose it was. The Force coursed through both like electricity through wires.

 _What have you done to him?_ Kanan demanded through the crossed bonds.

 _Only made him stronger._ A cruel voice responded. _How unfortunate that_ you _shattered him._

Kanan glared, despite the fact that she couldn't see him. He glanced at his padawan, feeling no awakening in his Force signature. He'd be down for awhile longer, the suppressants were doing their job well.

 _You should have seen him practicing, Jedi. So full of hate and rage. You would have never guessed that he was already partially trained as a Jedi._ The Seventh Sister said through the Force. Kanan released a breath to steady himself. She wanted him to get angry. Wanted him to fill with rage.

He could practically sense her smug, sadistic smile. _You do not wish to hear about his training? Very well._ There was a slight pause in her speech. Kanan could sense the nature of what she was going to say. _He had the strangest habit of crying and muttering "I want to go home" before going to sleep._ Kanan swallowed thickly. _He stopped it later. I suppose he lost hope that you were coming for him. Quite disappointing-_

 _Shut up!_ Kanan growled. _It's over! He's back with us. You're not getting anywhere near him._ Kanan would just have to break the bond that Ezra shared with the Sith.

That was the part that scared Kanan a bit. Breaking bonds was dangerous. There was no telling how much pain Ezra would go through if it happened or if he would get through it without permanent damage. He took a breath in, better he did it than the Seventh Sister.

Bonds were something sacred. If either side severed it, the damage would be worst than if an outside force broke it. Kanan steeled himself, preparing for the worst.

 _Karabast._ Ezra's voice muttered through the Force bonds. _What happ-_ He paused, piecing together what was happening. Absolute horror and panic rushed from his Force signature. _No, this can't be happening. There was no way that whole thing happened!_ Kanan glanced at Ezra's face, it was still passive, asleep, and expressionless. It was a stark contrast to the storm of anger, fear, and pain within his mind.

The Seventh Sister's Force signature gave off a casual vibe. _Unfortunately, Apprentice, it did occur. Do you know why?_ Ezra was silent, waiting for an answer. _Because you were too weak. Too weak to join our ranks. Perhaps I should have allowed the Fifth Brother to kill you._ Ezra's signature shuddered.

 _Get out of his head!_ Kanan demanded. _It's over!_

Both could sense a sinister feeling from her. Ezra's fear rose beyond what should have been capacity. Kanan reached for the bond, now totally prepared to shatter it, but the Seventh Sister got to it first. She put her Force signature around it, protecting it from any attack. Kanan gritted his teeth, ramming his Force signature into hers so it trembled with the impact.

 _No!_ Ezra's Force signature screamed desperately. _No! Master, I'm begging you! Please don't leave me!_ He wasn't speaking to Kanan, which stung, but that was the least of the Jedi's concerns. What hurt even more was to hear him beg. The Ezra he knew wouldn't implore anyone in such a way.

 _You are not worth my time._ The Seventh Sister's voice rang in his head.

Then, the bond that they shared snapped. It was perhaps the most terrible sound that Kanan had ever heard. It was like the sickening crunch of bones breaking or a resounding final blast of a gun, ending a life.

Ezra's cries of pain were almost worst. Within his mind, Kanan was only aware of the loud, agonizing screams. A sudden sob escaped Ezra while he slept.

 _Ezra, it's all okay. You're okay. You're safe._ Kanan sent waves upon wave of comfort to Ezra, trying to pacify him, trying to stop the pain. His padawan didn't reject the comfort, but he didn't accept it either. They just seemed to surround him, but do nothing. He could sense Ezra's mindset, he'd been abandoned. That single _snap_ had caused Ezra more pain than anything else ever could.

The boy moaned in his sleep, it was all he could manage with the sedatives in his system. Kanan pulled the sheets up to Ezra's chin. _Sorry about this, Ezra._ He thought with the bond as he reattached the suppressant tube. Ezra's screams faded slowly, getting weaker and weaker as the substance took effect.

He hated the suppressants, hated himself even more for administering them, but it was all he could do. With any luck, a majority of the pain would pass by the time Ezra was allowed off the suppressants.

It was a sad and desperate way of thinking, but it was the best he could do for the moment. Cutting his padawan off like that was the only way he could think to make him stop hurting.

 **So, this isn't looking too good for Ezra. He almost killed a member of the medical staff, he's down for now, and the Seventh Sister snapped their bond like a toothpick. I would feel bad, but I lost the ability to feel empathy for characters a while ago. I feel nothing. Strangely enough, I feel more when I read.**

 **Thank you for all the support! 200 reviews, 123 favorites, and 172 follows, I could never get this far without the readers. you guys are the best! So, anyway... Please Review! May the Force be with you!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hi guys! I know, I haven't posted anything in FOREVER! I'm a busy person, okay! I originally planned to post this on New Years, but then came original story ideas, _Attack on Titan_ , college stuff, and really awful sleep deprivation. I normally like to post a chapter of all the in progress stories at a time, but alas, I had some serious writer's block for _Gone._**

 **Today was kind of a historic day for my novel I'm working on. I printed a part of it out for the first time. It makes everything official! It's like I gave birth because my characters are my babies! As are my fish. Chordae Tendineae Bridger and Captain Levi! Love them so much!**

 **Anyway, enough about me! Here it is!**

The Seventh Sister was not at peace with losing her apprentice. The boy was still useful to her, but cutting the bond had been her best option. Had the bond remained intact, the Jedi would have severed it himself and that would lead to a new string of problems that she'd have to deal with.

The rebellion was layered thin, and they were compassionate to their own. The Jedi wouldn't end the boy's life. He didn't have the resolve to do it. In any case, the child wasn't fully committed to the dark side. Her guess would be that he was broken on the inside, lost, and probably less than sane. Assuming someone could communicate with him, he was a blank canvas.

I will recover him. She told herself. The rebellion was not as sly as they thought. Pinpointing his location would be easy enough. Then, he'd be hers again. After what she'd said through the bond, he would be looking for redemption. She would offer it, and he'd come crawling back to the dark side. Even if he turned back to the light before she could reach him. She'd forced a bond once, and she could do it again.

…

Kanan didn't like leaving Ezra, even when he was within rebellion headquarters. Something about it didn't feel right. He didn't think that his apprentice would be attacked out of nowhere. He just hated leaving Ezra in a sleeping state while he was on suppressants and sedatives. It felt so wrong, but so did everything.

The Jedi sighed. It was late and he really couldn't be caught here. The medical staff could be quite protective over their patients, and they hated when untrained hands touched the equipment. I'll come back, Ezra. He said into the hollow place that was their bond.

As Kanan's fingers hovered over the panel to open the door, it opened without warning. Force! He thought as he found himself face to face with the head of the medical staff. How had he not sensed her? He must have been too distracted with Ezra.

Dunan had dark circles under her eyes and an irritated expression on her face. Her blond hair stuck out at odd angles. "What are you doing here?" She asked as she pushed past Kanan to Ezra's bedside to check his condition.

"Just umm…. Checking on Ezra." Kanan felt that he shouldn't have had to justify his actions. Ezra was his padawan after all. However, Ezra was placed under Dunan's care for the time being, and a single word from here could make it so Kanan wouldn't see Ezra until he was recovered. Force knew how long that could take. "What are you doing here?" Kanan asked, hoping to shift the conversation. The medic was too sharp and strong minded to fall for a mind trick.

"I get an alert whenever his vital signs spike." She smoothed her hair down so she could tie it back. "As does all the rest of the medical staff," she muttered in annoyance. Her irritation was not directed at Kanan, he could sense that much.

"They're all that scared of him?" He asked, worry creeping into his gut.

"I suppose so. I can understand fear of something you don't understand," she mumbled, pulling on gloves. "But really, they have a job to do."

Dunan checked everything over Ezra. Making sure the IVs and tubes were working. "Huh," she began as she reached the suppressant tube. "This isn't connected correctly." Her eyes turned to Kanan.

That's it. He thought. I should have been more careful. Should have sensed her come in. If I can just talk my way out of this before she bans me from the med bay- He opened his mouth to form a defense.

"I'm sure you had your reasons," Dunan said calmly.

"Huh?"

"Look, I may be an expert in medicine, psychology, and the history of warfare, but I know next to nothing about the Jedi." She reattached to suppressant tube properly. "Really, it's my opinion that a majority of his healing should be carried out how you see fit." She paused. "You would be the only one to know what to do in that area."

She looked at the monitors and nodded to herself. "I'm surprised you would consider a Jedi's perspective on this," Kanan stated honestly.

"Well," Dunan sighed. "The Force was never my area of study. I just heard stories from my father who was a technician in the Jedi temple before the republic collapsed." She seemed to come out of her nostalgic state and back to the present. "Anyway, I can give you access to him, but at more… reasonable hours. I'll work out some of the details, but I think it's time we turn in."

The woman gave a loud yawn. Her position didn't offer her much down time.

…

Kanan took a big breath in before Dunan unhooked the suppressants. They'd managed to make a deal with the higher ups, as long as Kanan didn't fiddle with the equipment. His plan was simple enough, but it all felt so convoluted. He would just try to bring Ezra back to the light without taking him off the sedatives. When he was mostly stable, they would let him wake up. A good portion of it was improvisation from there.

"Press the call light when you need it reattached," Dunan instructed as she pushed the signal light into Kanan's hand. "May the Force be with you," she murmured as she left the room. She had no idea of how much they would need the Force on their side.

He hated the fact that they'd have to reattach the tube later and the fact that his apprentice was kept down in such a way.

Kanan waited. The suppressants would wear off any minute, and Kanan would feel the remaining ache of a missing bond. The plan was far less simple than he originally made it out to be. A headache suddenly blossomed in his skull. Ezra was clear of suppressants, to an extent anyway.

The pain was present and Kanan couldn't say for sure if it would stay that way for long. Hopefully not… The master took another deep breath.

Hey, Ezra…. How are you?

 **In all honesty, I had no plans on making Dunan an important character. But notice that I had to write this chapter to build up to the next chapter. Sorry if you're one of those people who hate OCs, but the story had to move along.**

 **Anyway, thanks for all your support and patience! Please Review! May the Force be with you!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hello! First of all, I'm sorry for taking so long to update. Life is busy. These past few days have been a bit hard on me, and today I felt especially guilty about not posting for way too long. I had some trouble on this chapter, getting back in the swing of things is tough. Anyway, enjoy!**

The suppressants had blocked Ezra's dreams. He was grateful for that. All the dreams he had were flashbacks of torture, killing, and pain, everything he wanted to forget.

 _Embrace the dark side. Forget the blood on my hands. Act out of emotion. Leave behind a trail of corpses. Bend my rage and agony to my will. Destroy the weak. Harness my power. Retaliate against those who wronged me._ No matter how many times he repeated that to himself, he never managed to forget the blood. It clung to him like a parasite, reminding him of what he'd done and what he'd become.

 _Ignore it!_ Ezra demanded himself. His mind stirred more as the suppressants faded. His thoughts became more clear, more present. _Where am I?_ Ezra questioned. _The Force happened?_ He was barely aware of anything beside the pain and the strange need to cry.

 _Hey, Ezra… How are you?_ Kanan's voice whispered gently into his mind.

Rage flew through Ezra when he heard the voice of his old master, the master who never came for him, but Ezra was weak, more weak than he had felt in ages. He felt scared, which had been an unfortunately regular emotion lately. _I was really hoping I'd never feel like this again._ He thought to himself, blocking the bond with Kanan so his former master wouldn't know how shaky he was.

 _You know I sensed that, right?_ Kanan said gently into the bond.

 _Blast it!_ Ezra thought, he hadn't regained enough strength to push Kanan away. _Stupid suppressants._

 _That aside,_ Kanan began, changing the subject. _You're home._

Memories flooded Ezra's head. The Seventh Sister had left him, but chances were it was just a tactical retreat and she'd be back soon. He'd fought Kanan and suffered the humiliation of losing. Then… Everything was still a bit hazy after that, but it was clear enough for him to know that he'd been captured by rebel forces.

There was something else, something even more devastating than all of that combined. He ignored all of Kanan's attempts at getting him to talk, and reached for the bond he shared with the Seventh Sister. It was possible she could get involved, find out where he was and come get him. It was a simple enough plan. Only…. The bond wasn't there. He stretched out to the familiar place where it always was and found nothing to grasp.

That's when the last of his forgotten memories fell back into place. She'd broken it.

How the Force could he have forgotten that?! The pain of the shattering bond cut into him like daggers. He gagged as the full force of it seemed to double. _Oh Force… No, no, no no, no! This can't be happening._

Waves of warmth flowed through his bond with Kanan. It was only out of full, complete pain and desperation that he accepted them. He clung to his one remaining bond, holding on, not even releasing when he was vaguely aware of some stream of a serum being pushed into his veins. His rapid heart beat slowed to a normal pace.

 _You still with me, Ezra?_ Kanan's voice came through his Force signature. Ezra pushed away Kanan's comfort as soon he calmed down. He struggled to wake himself up, the suppressants were mostly worn off by now. Ezra fought back against the chemical restraints.

His eyes refused to open, and the most physical movement he could manage was a slight shift of his fingers. _Blast it!_ He thought again, sinking back into his despair. He was stuck. There was no getting out of this, not right away at least. Kanan continued to get to Ezra by giving him more comfort and speaking softly to him.

One part of Ezra yearned to go home, to rejoin the light side of the Force and stay with his family again. The other side only wanted to destroy those who left him, destroy the rebellion, return to the Seventh Sister and slash her open when his training was completed. The two sides wrestled, fighting, trying to destroy the other.

This was one of the things that Ezra absolutely didn't want to deal with. His Force signature distanced itself from the bond, and built walls around itself. _Ezra…_ Kanan's signature began, almost warningly. Ezra kept building, kept putting up his mental barricades and cursing himself for not having them guard his mind earlier.

 _Ezra, come on!_ Kanan's dismay rang through the bond, but Ezra hardly cared. _You can't just put up walls and expect everything to go away!_ The former master didn't slam his signature against the wall as the Seventh Sister had, which Ezra was grateful for. If Kanan had done that, his walls would immediately crumble. He sensed a sigh of exasperation from the Jedi. _Look, I'm not going to force my way in. Force knows that would make me just as bad as she was. But Ezra, you can't go on like this!_

 _Shut up!_ Ezra's signature screamed. He attempted to block the bond entirely again, though some small part of him wanted to listen to Kanan. Would the walls really protect him? _Of course they will._ He thought fiercely. _Walls protect me._ He reminded himself. _The walls keep me safe, keep people like them out._

Kanan could still sense all of what Ezra was thinking. The boy must not have been aware that his walls were cracking under their own weight, and any emotions he tried to block were being perceived plain as day.

Kanan could sense it. His time with Ezra would have to draw to a close soon. He was too stubborn to quit building walls and too emotionally ragged to have any kind of conversation. _The walls don't protect you, Ezra. They cage you._

 _Leave me alone!_

Kanan felt a headache throb in his temples, this is as far as they would get today. _We'll talk when you're ready._ He offered before bringing his thumb down on the call light to alert Dunan to reattach the suppressants. As he withdrew himself from Ezra's mind, he wondered when he'd actually be ready. How long would it take?

 **I'm thinking of going more into detail of some of the things that Ezra did in future chapters. That's the plan.**

 **I've been focusing more on a novel that I'm working on. It's a slow process, but it's coming along. I have an issue where I will watch shows and anime and be on a hunt for ways to torture a character. It's been great. Kind of disappointed I learned so much after I'm done** **interrogating the blueberry, but I can always take it out on my main character who I love who also acts my pathetic fish in a barrel or darling punching bag...I have so many issues, but it's fun. I only shed blood on paper... and screens.**

 **Anyway! Thanks for all the support. I couldn't get this far without you guys! Please Review! May the Force be with you!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hello! Sorry this too so long to post. I have been busy. I wrote an entire exclamation for my negligence to post earlier, but the internet crashed and it's really late right now, so I'll just summarize it to this:**

 **I'm a terrible person and I know it. I felt like a really terrible human being after writing this chapter. People wanted to know what happened with Ezra before he fought Kanan, here it is. Enjoy.**

Imperial ships didn't have shaky landings and they rarely touched down in a hidden area. Ezra learned that on his first mission for the empire. He wasn't surprised, such pointless things did not surprise him, they only earned his notice. That was how the empire was, smooth, consistent, and without blemish.

"Are you prepared?" The Seventh Sister questioned. Ezra didn't turn his head; he only moved his eyes in the direction of his master's voice.

"Of course I am. This is just a retrieval mission." He suppress an annoyed sigh. "I understand that this is my first and all, but retrieval? That's a job for stormtroopers."

The Seventh Sister smiled slightly. He was understanding his power and position within the empire. "It is not an ordinary retrieval. It's possible that stormtroopers wouldn't last long. Aside from that, you get training in this way."

Ezra chuckled slightly. "Stormtroopers _never_ last long."

"Such is the life of pawns," The Seventh Sister responded.

Ezra's face turned serious. "What is this mission supposed to be anyway?" He crossed his arms and leaned back. He began to go over the facts he already knew. "It's a retrieval, we're on a planet with heavy imperial occupation, we're being relatively secretive about it, and I get the feeling you're going to have me do it alone." He exhaled through his mouth as he tried to put the facts together. Normal reasoning wasn't getting him too far.

"Think about it," his master said coolly when she saw how much difficulty he was having with it. She could have explained everything in less time, but it was more fun to watch Ezra try to put it all together on his own. " _We're_ going, which means…" She let her sentence hang, waiting for Ezra to complete it.

"It's something the empire doesn't want people to know about." Ezra nodded as he said it. These sort of conversations were normal. "So, does it have anything to do with the rebellion?"

The Seventh Sister frowned. "No, child, that's not it." Ezra glared at her; he never liked being called that. She sighed. "I hate to use this example, but do you remember meeting the grand inquisitor?"

Ezra nodded. "I highly doubt I can forget that."

"What was he hunting?" She prompted. Surely, he'd put the pieces together now.

"Me and Kanan," he answered easily, though anyone with Force sensitivity could feel the storm that raged at the mention of the Jedi's name. _Are we going to fight Kanan?_ Ezra asked himself, but that wasn't it. Aside from the waves of disappointment swirling in the Seventh Sister's Force signature, Ezra knew for a fact that she wouldn't allow him to come into contact with his former master. Not until he was ready. "Jedi," Ezra corrected himself after a moment of silence passed. "He was hunting us because we were Jedi."

"That would be the reason he'd been looking for you."

"So, then… we're hunting Jedi?" Ezra asked. The idea was dangerous and he liked it, but he also felt a wave of fear with that idea. Jedi weren't ordinary people. Their skill with a lightsaber was the least of Ezra's concern. They were like the Sith, like Ezra, they could reach into people's minds, _his_ mind. He'd buried his shortcomings, fears, and history deep inside his psyche. If those were dug up and exploited, everything could unravel. That would truly tear him apart.

Jedi were to be interrogated and killed. Ezra was still less than experienced in the art of interrogation, since he'd been out of contact with the rest of the universe for the last month or so. He still didn't know for sure how long he'd been isolated.

"No, you need more training before you're ready to face a Jedi." Ezra shrugged, his silent way of agreeing. "Any other guesses?"

Ezra racked his brain for a logical answer. "Something with the Force then, right?"

"Correct."

He frowned. "Destroying a temple?"

The Seventh Sister suppressed a sigh. Waiting for her apprentice to put it together on his own lost its appeal. "We're going to retrieve a child who's like you. Force sensitive." Ezra's eyes widened for a moment before he nodded. Feelings of unease ran through their bond, and the Seventh Sister laid a hand on Ezra's head. "I will not forsake you," she assured, feeling his restlessness calm.

"Child like me," the apprentice muttered pensively. "Who's training them?"

"That's irrelevant. All that matters is that we're tasked with retrieving them."

Ezra shrugged and reclined in his seat. "It sounds easy enough. We just go in and pick them up. Stormtroopers could do it."

"Do not be overconfident, Child," his master warned. Ezra made a face at being referred to as a _child._ "There's a technique to a task like this. This child has a village with them, the child has family." She turned to look Ezra in the eyes. "Harden your heart." Her student nodded, although she could sense that the message did not quite sink in. "Ezra, you must listen to me when I say that this mission _will_ destroy you if you do not embrace the darkness and eliminate compassion."

…

Ezra understood what she meant when they arrived on Sicemon. The village they'd landed next to seemed peaceful, but beneath he could sense some deep sense of pride and protection. Some intense loyalty, for once they were seen and recognized as imperials, the people attacked.

 _Where was any of this loyalty or commitment to me?_ The thought came into Ezra's mind, and he remembered his time on the streets after his parents were taken when no one would take him in, his time in prison when his former crew never came for him. Why hadn't anyone been there for him? Because he wasn't worth it or because he could stand on his own? The fact was that he hated standing alone. He hated being solitary.

"Would you like to handle getting the child?" The Seventh Sister asked, sensing Ezra's rage. The boy she'd taken a few months ago had faded. Empathy was lost. Anger had taken hold.

A small, demented smile grew on his face. "Gladly."

The world didn't seem quite right as they carved a blood path to where Ezra sensed the presence. Shots were fired, deflected, and burned into bodies. Everything was red, everything was angry. Ezra only knew the insatiable desire to kill. Corpses piled up, and he didn't do so much as blink. This was the dark side: destroy as needed, fight as ordered, and die if necessary. All in pursuit of power.

"Do as you see fit," the Seventh Sister ordered. "Just so long as the child is brought back unharmed."

"And what will you do?" Ezra questioned, glancing at the dismembered bodies strewn about. There were several other Force signatures in the houses, but they were irrelevant. Weak. Scared.

"Perhaps simply prep the ship. It is not as though there is much to do."

"True," Ezra responded simply. Some imperial officer could take care of setting up factories or mines. As for the two of them, their work would be done as soon as they took the child. Ezra turned to go.

"Ezra," the Seventh Sister called. He looked at her over his shoulder. "Remember how difficult you were at the start?" Ezra silently sighed. Of course, she just had to bring that up. "Break them down a bit." The apprentice smiled slightly, giving a single nod. The Seventh Sister felt a twisted sense of pride build inside her at knowing that her sadistic nature was rubbing off on her padawan. _They grow up so fast._ She thought.

…

Ezra had been ten years old when he'd truly grown accustomed to the streets. Ten years old when he met Kasari, a friend or rival, whom he ran into very occasionally. Ten years old when he began to put together what his parents had been fighting for before getting taken away.

And now, a small human boy with hazel eyes and dark hair around ten years old stared back at him. His eyes were wide with fear. He looked at Ezra's lightsaber then back at his face.

The apprentice felt himself waver. _This must have been exactly how you looked when the empire took your parents._ Some small part of him reminded. _Do you remember how scary that was? There wasn't even someone with a lightsaber then, just bucketheads._ Ezra gritted his teeth as the nagging in his head grew louder. _What have you become?_ Ezra pushed down the voices and focused back on the kid.

"You're coming with me," Ezra said bluntly, his voice colder than Hoth's winter. Suddenly, Ezra stepped back and drew his lightsaber as a bolt of light flew at him out of nowhere. A girl, who was about a year Ezra's junior, held a blaster with shaking hands.

"Get away from him!" She screamed, firing two more blasts, both of which Ezra deflected. One of them hit her leg and she yelped in pain, collapsing onto the floor. The boy broke free from his fear trance and ran in front of her, acting as a shield.

"Leave us alone!" The boy cried, his anger, pushing Ezra back. However, he didn't understand his power, not yet. He had no control over it, so it felt like a slight breeze to Ezra.

"Well, that was something," Ezra muttered as he watched a few random objects float. "But, it's not strong enough." He ignored the boy and reached through the Force for the girl. An invisible hand closed around her neck and lifted her up. She gagged and clawed at his Force grip.

"Ekron!" The boy screamed in fear. He turned to Ezra angrily. " Let her go!"

"You need to work on your negotiation skills," the apprentice responded boredly. "That's a really weak deal you're trying to make." Ekron coughed, kicking out. _Remember when you were taken? This is exactly what they did to you._ A voice in Ezra's head reminded. He dropped Ekron and clutched his head as a great conflict took over.

 _HARDEN YOUR HEART!_ Ezra's dark side resolved after a few minutes.

"Jazer, you have to run," Ekron said between coughs. "Now, go!" She pushed the boy, and seeing the hopelessness of the situation, he began to turn to run.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that," Ezra interrupted, taking hold of Ekron's throat again. Jazer froze. "See, if you run, I'll crush her throat." He paused letting that sink in. He tightened his grip to make a point.

"What do you want?" Jazer asked, sinking to his knees, his voice trembling. Ezra kept his face indifferent, although he felt like smiling since he'd finally gotten through to the kid.

"Just come with me," Ezra began slowly as he struggled to tune out the pitiful waves of desperation coming from the child. "And I'll let her go." He spoke out of gritted teeth, fighting off the light's influence and his crippling guilt.

Time almost seemed to stand still as Jazer stared in terror at Ezra, as Ekron choked and tried to breath, as Ezra continued to hold her a foot off the floor with the Force. The captive girl was beginning to go cyanotic. Her lips and nails were taking on a blueish tinge. "Hurry," Ezra said impatiently, glancing at the girl with cyanosis. "Or she dies." Jazer swallowed hard and approached Ezra, who began to release Ekron. Suddenly, the kid ran to Ezra, kicked him hard in the shin and bolted out the door. "Force," Ezra muttered in annoyance as he dropped Ekron and chased after Jazer.

He hadn't gotten far, and Ezra could sense where he was hiding. "Found you," Ezra said as he used the Force to drag him out of an abandoned cellar. He shoved a pair of Force inhibitor cuff on the child, setting off the irritating light side within him again. "Let's go," he said casually as if he had known the kid for ages.

"I hate you!" Jazer yelled, fighting off Ezra's hand that kept a grip on his arm. "You'll pay! I swear you'll pay!" Ezra took a breath in when he recalled saying those exact words when he'd been in Jedi temple and seen an illusion of Kanan being killed by the grand inquisitor.

His two sides fought over it until the darkness won. Then, Ezra laughed. "That's exactly what I thought."

 **Still tired...**

 **Summary:**

 **I like to use biblical names for stories.**

 **Ekron= Torn Away**

 **Thank you for continued support**

 **Love you guys**

 **I'm trying to end strong (Translation: Suggestions are welcomed)**

 **I'm tired**

 **Happy Easter**

 **Please Review**

 **May the Force be with you**

 **See ya!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Wow! It has been a long time! I haven't touched this fanfic since I was in high school. Granted that was just a little while ago, but still... I'm a college student now. All grown up! (And writing fanfiction and watching cartoons) I am deeply sorry for letting this one sit for so long. So, I'm back and I hope you like this next one!**

Kanan was struggling. He'd always known Ezra to be stubborn and difficult at times, and the fact that he'd embraced the dark side was not helping at all. Whenever the inhibitors were out of Ezra's bloodstream, Kanan could sense a maelstrom of anger and aggression and so much fear. Sending Ezra waves of comfort did almost nothing. He was beginning to accept Kanan's support, little by little.

Reaching Ezra was like excavating a fossil or precious stones, slowly chipping away at the stuff around it with patience until it was free. With Kanan's padawan, the whole process was taking more patience than he knew he had. Bit by bit, he'd bring him back. Inch by inch, he'd reach the milestone.

Kanan pressed the call button for Dunan to come in and reattach the suppressant tube when he'd finished trying to coax Ezra out of his dark side shell for the day.

"It took a long time for you to call for me," Dunan said as she reattached the tube. "That must be a good sign, right?"

The Jedi sighed and leaned his head back. "It was long, yes, but I don't feel like I'm making very much progress with him. It's been a week, and I've been doing this every day." He mentioned his excavation simile and Dunan frowned. "What is it?" Kanan asked.

"Well," Dunan began, lacing her fingers as she often did when she was deep in thought. "Well, I've said this before. I'm not a Jedi or even Force sensitive, so really I don't know if my place to make suggestions."

"You're the one who made it possible for me to see him at all," Kanan responded with a tired smile. "I think your opinions are legitimate."

Dunan grinned slightly at the recognition, but her face quickly darkened. "I was thinking," she started, pulling up a hologram of Ezra's X-rays from when he got rescued. "Based on his injuries, he'd acquired a lot of them over time." She gestured to a few cracks in the bones. "There's not much, because he was kept there for a relatively short time, but you can see some remodeling here." She pointed to the ulna. "There's even less remodeling here." She waved her hand around the humerus. "And then there's practically none here." Dunan tapped her fingers against the metacarpals. Then she muttered to herself smugly, "Ha. The empire isn't as good at mending bones as they think."

Kanan blinked a few times. "What does this have to do with getting Ezra back?" Kanan asked, completely lost by Dunan's exclamation.

The woman's face grew more serious. "The amount of remodeling shows that he got every facture over time. He didn't get them all at once."

"We guessed that. That's how the empire does interrogation and torture," Kanan said patiently. "You're going to have to elaborate a little more."

"That's just the point," Dunan exclaimed. "Some people can be broken by a single event. Just like that." She snapped her fingers to emphasise her point. "But Ezra's mind isn't built like that. If it was, he probably would have mentally broken a long time ago." She continued without waiting for Kanan to prompt her this time. "The empire must have exploited that, so they didn't try to to get information out of him for real or break him in the first torture session. That could have turned out to be less than effective." She glanced back at the hologram of Ezra's bones and then to Ezra's face. "Their whole strategy revolved around wearing him down until he just snapped like a twig."

"You're still going to have walk me through this," Kanan said, more lost than ever.

Dunan's face went blank for a second. "Right… Umm… Sorry, what was I originally talking about? Lost my train of thought."

"How to get through to Ezra."

"Right!" She clapped her hands, getting back into her explanation. "So, the brain kind of adapts to things. In this case, he's somewhat used to the slow process of getting broken down, and he's trying to resist you as much as he can." Her face darkened again. "He sees you as the enemy, Kanan. So, Ezra's somewhat expecting you to try to get to him slowly, over time." She shrugged. "I can't be totally sure, but your method of bringing him back may prove to be ineffective."

"So, what am I supposed to do?" The Jedi asked.

Dunan sighed. "I can't say that for sure. That's up to you, and my idea could be risky."

Kanan groaned, getting frustrated now. "Please just tell me what your idea straight," he muttered.

Dunan pursed her lips. "You said that in this slow process, you were waiting for him to accept your comfort of something. You were 'slowly chipping away at him over time,' right?" Kanan nodded. Dunan gave an apologetic expression. "My thought was that you could just pull him out of there like ripping off an adhesive medical strip."

"What?!" Kanan nearly shouted, jumping up from his seat. "How can that be a good idea?!"

Dunan was unphased by his outburst. "I'm not saying you have to do it or even consider it. Just a thought."

"Couldn't that put him at risk?"

"For sure," Dunan replied regretfully. "Kanan, I mentioned this before, I have zero connection with the Force, so in the end, how you decide to free Ezra is your own choice. This was just an idea."

"What are the odds of it working?"

"No idea. I don't know the Force like you would." She peeled off her gloves and tossed them into the incinerator. "But I'll tell you this much, in my experience in this field, sometimes, you have to do something that's hard and sudden and rough." She headed out of the doorway. "But by all means, this is under your jurisdiction," she called over her shoulder sincerely. "May the Force be with you."

Kanan glanced back at his apprentice, who still laid unmoving on the medical bay bed. Patience was the Jedi way… Pulling him out the way Dunan had suggested sounded too much like using the dark side as the quick and easy path. At least to him, to others it may have sounded reasonable. _But this is kind of different._ Kanan thought.

The real question he needed answered was whether or not such a strategy would rescue Ezra or break him beyond repair.

 **Well, there it is. I'm sorry if it may have been just dialogue. I was trying to build up for the next chapter. It feels good to get back on this one!**

 **Ummm... I got a dorm fish recently. His name is Atsushi, and he is my baby now... Who else is looking forward to SEASON 4?! I know I'm terrified for it. I continue to miss Ezra's smallness and Aladdin haircut, but life goes on.**

 **Please Review! May the Force be with you!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Happy Halloween!**

 **So, I've had some major writer's block here, but I wanted to get this out for Halloween. It's a bit harder to write this now as** ** _Star Wars Rebels_** **has progressed so far... Still love Ezra though!**

 **Here it is!**

"It could completely destroy him," Kanan said grimly as he sat across the table from Hera in the common room. "Getting him out like Dunan suggested." He sipped his drink, hardly tasting it since he was so deep in thought.

"But, it's also possible you'll never get him out in the way you've been going about it for the past week," the twi'lek summed up. She was equally as frustrated as him at this point. Hera drummed her fingers against the table. "It's as she said," she muttered. "You're the most qualified to choose what to do."

Kanan groaned. "I know that, and that's the problem." He bit his lip. "The dark side is the quick and easy path, that's what I'd been taught, and doing this… I don't know... " He trailed off. "It's dangerous, but the slow process is getting us nowhere." He massaged his temples. "I just… don't want to damage him beyond repair because I got impatient."

Hera reached across the table, laying her hand over Kanan's. "I'm going to support you in whatever you choose." He fingers tightened around his curled fist as though to remind him that she was there. "If you decide take this slowly, I'll be here for both of you even if it takes years."

"And if I do it quickly and destroy his mind?" Kanan asked pessimistically.

"Then I'll be here to help bring him back." She forced a smile. "No matter how this turns out, we're here for you and Ezra. That will never change, Kanan."

It started with Ezra's less than cheerful response to waking up from the suppressants. He was never happy when waking up. Everytime, he seemed less groggy and just plain angry.

 _Stop trying, Kanan,_ he said weakly as he came off the inhibitors. _I've found my place in the darkness and I prefer this._ He scoffed. _I'd rather you just kill me than forcing me to listen to you every day._

It was subtle, but Kanan could sense the falter in his voice. _You hardly sound like yourself anymore_ ,the Jedi muttered through their bond.

 _I was meant to join the dark side._ Ezra's Force signature responded evenly. _It's stronger._

 _You really believe that after she broke your bond. I can sense how much that hurt you, Ezra._

A surge of rage and pain. _It was your fault... You're the one who made her hurt me_. Ezra's face remained a passive mask, calm and unmoving. _You might as well run me through with your lightsaber right now because I'm not coming back._

 _If you felt that strongly about, then why haven't you broken_ our _bond?_ It was a heavy question that rested on thin ice. Kanan knew that he was pushing his and Ezra's limits.

 _Huh?_ His Force signature voice was taken aback.

 _You try to drive me out every time we talk, but if you really wanted to, you could break our bond and end this connection, but you don't want to, do you?_

He could feel Ezra falter, reaching for an answer to give him. There was silence.

 _I'm giving you a chance to come back, Ezra._ He felt his padawan. _Please take it._ Nothing happened. _Here we go._ Kanan said into their bond, Ezra's Force signature shuddered.

Kanan shut his eyes tightly, focusing in on Ezra, not the darkness that had grown around him like a parasite, but his padawan, the child he'd taken in and trained. The boy who had been taken from their little makeshift family on the _Ghost._

If he had to visualize what he sensed, Kanan would have to say that he saw Ezra. He saw Ezra half submerged in some mass of darkness. It wasn't quite solid or liquid, but it seemed to flow and surge around Ezra. It surrounded him, threatening to swallow him whole. Ezra's eyes were shut, his face defeated. He looked like he was embedded into it like how a fossil would be stuck in stone.

 _EZRA!_ Kanan called. His padawan didn't respond. Kanan's Force signature grasped Ezra's shoulders, digging his fingers into the dark mass that held Ezra in place. The cold was so terrible that his fingers burned with the chill. Kanan bit back a scream, and powered through the pain. _I'll get you out of there!_

Then, his grip on Ezra tightened and he used all his strength. He yanked the boy from the mass. That's when Ezra's eyes snapped open and he screamed an awful, agony filled, gut wrenching scream, but that didn't make Kanan waver. He _couldn't_ waver now! Not when he'd already started. Now, he'd have to see it through to the end.

 _I'm sorry._ He said as Ezra's scream echoed in his ears. _I'm sorry. It's almost over._

That's when Kanan finally pried Ezra free of the cold mass. His screams stopped, and he breathed as if he'd just ran twenty miles.

The Jedi slumped forward, his energy spent. His hand rested against Ezra's forehead. He glanced at his apprentice. Still a passive face, but his skin had a sheen of sweat on it and the monitors showed that his heart rate had risen considerably. Kanan let his head hang from exhaustion, he was too tired to even try to call to Ezra through their bond. _All that..._ He thought. _And I don't even know if he's alright or not._

"Kanan?" A voice said from next to him.

Kanan's spine went straight as an arrow and he turned to his padawan. Ezra had been the one who'd spoken. He could hardly keep his eyes open through the haze of sedatives, but Kanan saw that flash of blue.

"Hey, Ezra," Kanan responded, smiling despite his exhaustion. "How are you?"

Ezra was only able to keep his eyes open for a few more seconds before drifting back to sleep. He never gave an answer, but Kanan could sense it. Ezra was doing a lot better.

 **Yay! Ezra's okay!**

 **Honestly, guys... Inspiration has been... very little... I would normally have a lot more to say here, but umm... I'm tired and I've got a headache.**

 **So... Please review!**

 **May the Force be with you!**


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